According to TMZ, music artist Mac Miller died Friday, September 7, 2018, of an apparent drug overdose. He was found in his San Fernando Valley home after a friend called 911 from Miller’s home. In addition to his rap career, the 26-year-old was known for his dating relationship with ex-girlfriend Ariana Grande. He was originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and ended up in California, pursuing his music dreams.
In the wake of his death, Mac Miller leaves behind friends, family and fans. Get to know more about Miller’s loved ones in our facts below.
1. Miller’s Upbringing Was a Big Influence on His Rap Career
Mac Miller’s mom, Karen Meyers, is Jewish and his dad, Mark McCormick, is Christian, but he was raised of Jewish faith and even had a bar mitzvah. According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, he was known as a Jewish rapper, who, Complex reported, was called “the best Jew in the rap game” by music star Drake. In response, Miller said, “I mean, I don’t take offense to it. I’m the coolest Jewish rapper. Not he! I am!”
Miller’s faith was quite important to him, according to Hollowverse. Miller explained, “I celebrate the high holidays. That’s like my culture; that’s like my family; that’s like how I was raised: Jew.”
Generally, Jews are not supposed to get tattoos if they want to be buried in a Jewish cemetery because it is not allowed. However, because his religion was important to him, Miller got a large tattoo of the Hebrew word for “life” on his left arm. Hollowverse reported that he wanted that tattoo because it represented who he was as a person.
2. Over the Summer Miller Said His Loved Ones Were Supporting Him Through His Addiction Struggles
According to People, in July 2018, Miller reflected on his break up with Ariana Grande, as well as a DUI from May 2018. Miller revealed to Zane Lowe on Beats 1 on Apple Music, “I have people that care about me and fans that love my music and it’s a beautiful relationship with them — people who have been with me through being a 19-year-old wide-eyed kid to being a self-destructive depressed drug user to making love music to all these different stages. Then they see something like that and they worry. So your first reaction is, ‘Let me tell them I’m cool.’”
In a 2014 interview with Complex, Miller’s mom talked about having a rapper for a son and said, “He does his thing, you know, he loves it, and we support him. And it’s fun. We enjoy his … joy.” Meyers then added, “Growing up, he loved performing and singing and playing instruments and generally being the center of the universe. He’s got a lot of magnetism, always has, ever since he was a baby. I’m very supportive of him.”
At one point, Meyers told Complex that she had a hard time when her son started smoking cigarettes in high school. She admitted that, “He was smoking cigarettes and I’m a very healthy person, so that was hard for me.” One can only imagine her grief in her son’s battle with drugs.
3. Mac Miller’s Mother Is a Photographer
When Miller was growing up, his mother worked as a photographer and still does today. On her professional website, her bio states that, “Karen has a beautiful, original vision. Her focus reveals an insight that escapes the bare eye. She is driven and dynamic, documenting our world from a million angles of light, shadow, and clarity. For over twenty years, she has shot for award winning regional and national design firms and ad agencies—representing a wide range of clients and industries—including healthcare, education, finance and foundations.”
Some of Meyers’ clients, listed on her website, have included Heinz, Live Nation, PNC, and Fairmont. When talking with Complex magazine in 2014, Meyers said that her family’s love of the arts definitely influenced her son, Mac Miller, in his creative path as an artist. She explained, “I’m a photographer and my husband’s an architect, so there’s a lot of genetic disposition towards creativity. We support the arts and both of [our sons] are artists.”
Miller appears to have been quite close to his family. In fact, when Miller was dating Ariana Grande, the two of them took their mothers with them on a date, as reported by Elite Daily.
4. Miller’s Brother Designed the Artwork For His Albums
Miller’s brother goes by the name Miller McCormick and he actually designed some of the artwork for his brother’s music. McCormick is a graphic designer who designed the art for Miller’s “GO:OD AM” album cover. Green Label reported that Miller’s brother works as “designer, illustrator, and photographer” and the two siblings had been living together.
When talking to Green Label, McCormick said that, “I noticed we worked at very odd hours, and our projects start with using our hands before we translate it digitally. We both combine those two worlds in a very similar way, even though I’m visual and he’s musical.”
According to his Linked In account, Miller McCormick studied graphic design at Penn State. He graduated in 2012. Find his professional website here.
5. Mac Miller’s Father Made a Cameo In One of His Videos
Growing up, Mac Miller’s father, Mark McCormick, was an architect, while his mother, Karen Meyers, was a photographer. Miller once joked that Zack Morris, played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar, from Saved by the Bell, was his real father. After posting a Vine video about the joke, MTV reported that Miller also posted a video that had a cameo of his dad in it. He has gray and white hair, wears glasses, and is pictured in the above Instagram photo.
In an interview with Fuse, Miller has said that his parents have, at times, been concerned with some of his darker music and they also could be strict. Miller joked, “You think Pitchfork was rough on me? My dad is way worse than fucking Pitchfork! But I played him the new record and he said, ‘As a fan of music, this is great.”
And, when it came to his darker music, Miller revealed, “My dad said, ‘As a fan, the music is awesome. As a father, I have to ask, ‘Are you OK?'”
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