Ariana Grande honored late rapper and songwriter Mac Miller on Instagram for the anniversary of their duet “The Way,” six years after the song debuted, as she remembered her ex-boyfriend, who died of a drug overdose in September 2018. Entertainment Tonight reported that the singer posted the following to both her Instagram and Instagram story.
“Six years” she penned alongside a photo of a small white heart.
Grande also shared with her followers a photo of herself with Miller’s dog Myron. She adopted Myron, a pit bull mix whom Miller rescued in 2017 while the couple was still dating, after Miller’s death.
“The Way” was featured on Grande’s album Daydreamin’ . “The Way” was released on March 25, 2013, and debuted at No. 10, peaking at No. 9 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Ariana was interviewed by MTV in 2013 regarding the tune, as she explained its creation.
“I’m super proud of it. We [me and Mac] had been hanging out for a while and he’s amazing and we make really great music together.”
The interview also hinted at a personal collaboration as well, with Grande revealing that the song was about loving somebody so much that you just can’t describe it when everything is so exciting and you get “butterflies.”
The couple’s split in May 2018 was allegedly mutual, but Grande’s response to a fan on Twitter who criticized her for breaking it off with the rapper revealed that their relationship was not as rosy at it appeared. She explained to the poster that they should not minimize a woman’s self-respect and worth by stating they should stay in a “toxic” relationship just because an album was written about them. (Miller wrote a ten-song tribute to Grande titled The Divine Feminine , released in 2016.)
Shortly after their split, Grande fell for, and quickly became engaged to, Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson. The couple moved in together and moved towards marriage before Grande called off their engagement and ended their relationship in October 2018.
Despite moving on with Kate Beckinsale, Davidson recently refused to speak ill of Miller, kicking a heckler out of one of his comedy shows due to his insensitive comments about the rapper, reported Entertainment Tonight . Miller was only 26 when he died of an accidental overdose at his home in Studio City, California, on September 7, 2018.
Grande continues to mourn her lost love. She called him an “angel” in her song “thank u, next.” She is currently performing on her Sweetener Tour through October of this year.
