Sometimes, words are meaningless and forgettable. Ariana Grande, who dated rapper Mac Miller from 2016 until 2018, didn’t need a long, somber eulogy to remember her ex. She did it with a beautiful black and white photo of him, Miller’s eyes staring soulfully into the camera. Grande’s feet are visible at the bottom of the photo; it appears that she took it herself.
Grande also shut off comments on her Instagram post, after reportedly receiving a deluge of comments blaming her for Miller’s death. As it turns out, the lack of comments makes this image even more poignant — Grande wants us all to have a moment of silence and reflect on Miller’s life, his work, and his soul. The two weren’t just romantic partners, they were creative collaborators; Miller and Grande worked together on the songs “My Way” and “My Favorite Part.”
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Grande has been through so much in the last year — she confirmed that she suffers from PTSD after the Manchester bombing — and tragically losing Miller makes us really feel for her at this time. There is no correct way to experience grief, and certainly no correct way to grieve for an ex. It can be doubly complicated when there’s a history of substance use, because it feels so sudden, so tragic, but ultimately, sometimes it doesn’t feel altogether surprising. Grande, through this photo, expressed the painful multitudes of grief — and the comfort of their memories together.
Miller’s family confirmed his death on Saturday.