TRAGIC HOLLYWOOD: Mac Miller

0:00This podcast episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy. Just drop in some details about yourself and see if you're eligible to save money when you bundle your home and auto policies. The process only takes minutes and it could mean hundreds more in your pocket. Visit progressive.com after this episode to see if you could save. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. Potential savings will vary, not available in all states. So good, so good, so good. Nordstrom Rack is celebrating 125 years of Nordstrom with 125 of the best deals up to 65% off in stores and online. They're only here while supplies last. So shop today. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack. At QVC, fall shopping is more than just checking out. It's discovering the brands you love across beauty, fashion, home and culinary, all in one place.

1:04Whether you're getting ready for crisp mornings, cozy nights, or everyday moments, QVC has what you need for the season ahead, with brands like Laura Geller, Philosophy, Ninja, and so many more. Shop now at QVC.com. Welcome back to tragic Hollywood. I'm Natalie and I'm Paige. Now I'll be honest, Mac Miller wasn't someone I knew a lot about while he was alive. Of course, I knew his name. I knew some of the bigger songs and I knew the fact that he dated Ariana Grande pretty publicly. But researching his life for this episode made me realize just how incredibly talented he was. He wasn't just a rapper. He could play piano, guitar, bass, drums, and his sound evolved constantly. He pulled from hip hop jazz, funk, soul, R&B. He was so complex that way.

2:10Even just beyond music, there was something incredibly likable about him. In everything Paige and I watched and researched for this episode, not one person had something bad to say about him. There was nothing but kind words and smiles when talking about their friend, Mac Miller. He was funny, self-deprecating, and he really seemed to have this genuine curiosity about making music and getting better at it over the years. So the more I learned about him, I understood why people were able to connect with him so deeply. That's why today we're going to go back through it all. We're going to learn how he found music, his rise to fame, of course his relationship with Ariana Grande. And all of the struggles he dealt with along the way that eventually led to his heartbreaking death at just 26 years old. Mac Miller, aka Malcolm James McCormick, loved art and people. In an interview, one of his friends states that he made everybody feel special.

3:11Not only talented in music, but he was talented with people. And it's very clear that that love was reciprocated. People were devastated by his death in 2018. I too was somebody who during his life was not necessarily listening to him. I had it quite caught on to him. He was just slightly below my time. My oldest nephew, I know absolutely listened to him. And so I think to me, he was just like slightly behind my time. He was born in 1992 in Philadelphia. And he really gained his following around the ages of like 16 to 18 because he began posting on YouTube. And so I think maybe some slightly younger people were finding him before somebody in our age group. But he is so talented that posthumously I have listened to him throughout the years. One of his albums, Blue Slide Park, which was his sophomore album, hit the Billboard 200 at number one.

4:13And it was the first album to do so since 1995 that was independently distributed. So I mean, again, an incredible accomplishment. And there were so many other accomplishments as well. You mentioned his album that reached number one of the Billboard charts. We really need to underscore how young he was when his career exploded. This was around 18 or 19 years old. This is a young man rapping about young people things. He even has a rap about pizza. I could see why someone maybe a little bit older would look at his music and think this was more directed towards a demographic that's younger. Especially because he had that internet celebrity. Like you said, he started on YouTube. That's really where he started to gain his following. His first major album was called Kids. When he first started, he actually went by a different name, not Mac Miller. He went by Easy Mac. It feels young, right? Yes, and he think that that speaks a little bit to his spirit. Yes, there was an old soul there, but there was still this fun, goofiness, playful.

5:18Playful is a perfect word. I think his friends and family could speak to it even more, but in this archival footage, you can feel it. Sadly, though, there was a darker, deeper side to Mac's life where he did suffer with depression and substance abuse. Mac is the perfect example of you never know what's going on behind someone's smile. He clearly seemed to be a happy, go lucky person who brought a lot of positivity and playfulness to people's lives, but behind that, like you mentioned, there was this depression. It reminds me of this older commercial that would pop up on YouTube. It was a side by side of two different characters, one who appeared sad and one who was smiling. The commercial asked you to guess who is the person who completed suicide. It turns out it was the happy person. I think the purpose of that commercial is to showcase that not everyone is obviously going through dark mental times.

6:19And you never know, like I said, Justin and go, who's hiding behind that smile? And I know Mac didn't complete suicide, but he did struggle with his mental health and it was something that was a little bit more under the surface for him. I say this so often, but artists are such deep feelers and Mac was clearly clearly that I have to wonder what would have come if he didn't have this creative and a moment. And emotional outlet to feel through during his 26 years. I think that's where it gets complicated though, because yes, he had this creative outlet through his career. He was able to express himself. He was able to meet and connect with so many people out in the world. But he also had millions of people watching his every move. He had critics waiting for him to fail. He had drugs readily available. And so this career was this massive, beautiful opportunity for him to develop his creativity.

7:23But it also brought a lot of darkness into his life. The thing for Mac is that he was becoming an adult at the same time that he was becoming famous. So essentially he's figuring himself out at the same time that his life was changing. You bring up the critics and that's not just music critics. This is the critics of the court of public opinion. Again, he was posting on YouTube. So the comments were open. And he talks about how he could open up his phone. Now he would have graduated in 2010. This is still early odds of social media being connected to you through your phone and in your pocket. And not just a computer. All that to say, Mac talks about how great it felt to be off his phone at one point and off social media. And he discussed how he could completely ruin his day or completely make his day and feed his ego all in the same morning by going on social media

8:28and just seeing what people had to say about anything that had to do with him. I really feel like especially to a young brain where your prefrontal cortex isn't yet developed. But that could really damage it especially at such a pivotal time where you are figuring yourself out. Social media can be really damaging, especially like you said for someone going through that developmental phase in their life. But even for people who are our age, we get comments all the time, granted not as many comments as Mac Miller got and probably still gets on his videos online. But people aren't always the nicest. And even if they have something that they think is constructive criticism, it never comes across as helpful. It's just plain rude a lot of the times. I can't imagine what it would have been like to be figuring out who you are as a person, who you are as an artist, and having a constant stream of people trying to tear you down.

9:32It's almost like a hot air that a commenter is releasing sometimes, right? You have to believe that sometimes commenters that are saying something rude don't think that somebody was such a large following and such a large amount of comments is actually really going to see it, which is honestly somewhat valid. But it's to the point of that hot air, they're just like releasing whatever it is that maybe gave him the egg or like actually did bug them or trigger something in them that they didn't like. Or or whether there was a piece of jealousy to it or I can it runs the gamut of what could have made that person say something that isn't necessary and that they could have just scrolled for example. Here's where that sting does come from though when a creative does see that on something that they posted. It takes a lot of vulnerability to create something and then post that online no matter how corny you think it is or anybody else thinks it is it takes a lot of vulnerability that sting that comes back as feedback makes you feel like you failed or that it's not good enough.

10:46And I think that this is where for somebody who does manage depression and addiction, this is where that can become not a good situation for them. And we've heard this not just from the perspective of Mac Miller's life, but multiple creatives that we have covered on this podcast in the segment tragic Hollywood. And they all the head and this whole conversation is reminding me of something that Julie Murray, sister of more a Murray who we interviewed a couple years ago told us in that interview. You're listening to this podcast so I know you've got a curious mind. Here's a helpful fact that you may not know yet drivers who switch and save with progressive save over $900 on average. They make it super simple pop over to progressive.com answer some questions and you'll get a quick quote with coverage options tailored to your choices. Plus you'll see which discounts you may qualify for like the online quote discount or savings for paying in full. In fact 99% of progressive auto customers earn at least one discount.

11:56See if you could save when you switch to progressive. You'll feel good about making a savvy choice. Visit progressive.com and see if you can enjoy a little extra cash back progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates national average 12 month savings of $946 by new customer surveyed who saved with progressive between June 2024 and May 2025 potential savings will vary. Nordstrom Rack is celebrating 125 years of Nordstrom with 125 with the best deals up to 65% off in stores and online. We're talking incredible savings on brands you love like Vince, Sam Edelman, Ragnbone, All Saints and More. They're only here while supplies last. So shop today. Go into Nordy Club to unlock exclusive discounts. Shop new arrivals first and more. Plus buy online and pick up at your favorite rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack. At QVC, shopping is more than just checking out. It's discovering something new every day. Start with today's special value. Then explore exciting finds across the brands and categories you love.

13:07From beauty and fashion to home culinary and outdoor living. Shop now at QVC.com. She said this in relation to the true crime community, but I also feel like it applies to the world. There is an empathy epidemic people lack empathy. And I think we especially see that in online communities where people are hidden down their keyboards and feel like they can say whatever cruel thought pops into their head. I think if they haven't already done research on this, I think it could be beneficial to society for us to see whether or not people are more likely to be ruder behind a keyboard. I mean, we have a word for it now keyboard warriors, right? I do want to tie it back to Mac and it is so important because yeah, he did start on YouTube. He's getting these comments. He's talking about interviews. Like I mentioned how he could completely stroke his ego and ruin his day with like one morning scroll. And so he felt so great being off social media at one point.

14:21And I think as his fame and trajectory grew from, you know, Blue Slide Park, which is a famous park in Pittsburgh, which he loved where he was from in Pittsburgh. He loved Allegheny County. He loved Pittsburgh. He talks a lot about it and gives nods to it in many of his songs. And I think that album really did solidify him as a strong second album, especially to his fans and followers. As we're talking about his albums, there are reoccurring things that we see throughout them. One of one of the most prominent are drug references. You see them throughout most of his catalog. There is a lot of references to marijuana, partying, drinking, experimentation. It did change over time the way that he talked about these things as he grew and started making music over the years. It became a little bit more introspective, but it is something that we have to touch on because this is around the time he starts struggling with addiction.

15:25It became something he struggled with in his day to day life. So it wasn't a surprise when in 2018, he was arrested in California on suspicion of driving under the influence after he was involved in a vehicle crash. It's important to note too that this came after moments of sobriety that he was working really hard. I think that people who struggle with addiction, they fight every single day, not just to stay sober, but for their lives. It's so serious, I think it needs to be treated as seriously as suicidal ideation. I really do. I think you fight for your life and your sobriety. Just as hard as those struggling with suicidal ideation. I'm not trivializing either one of those by saying that. No, I think you're showcasing the seriousness of both. That's exactly my intent. It is something that reoccurs in every episode of tragic Hollywood that we've seen when it is a celebrity who has dealt with addiction, this constant daily battle.

16:33They wake up and face their demons the moment they open their eyes and they're facing them the entire time they're awake until they go to bed until they wake up the next morning. It's something that's always with them. And with that in mind, it's understandable why we see so many people affected by their addiction in this world, in this Hollywood community. The triggers are really all around in Max case, a lot of people unfortunately were blaming Ariana and there are some people who probably still do. She means Ariana Grande, by the way, those who may be unfamiliar. Yes, I do. She was a huge part of his life. They dated for two years and I don't think without the addiction, they would have broken up. Mac even said, how do I ask somebody who loves me to stay in a toxic situation where like I am battling addiction.

17:40I can't ask her to stay with somebody who's battling addiction every day if it's not healthy for her and it wasn't she had to take care of herself first and I think she was able to still love from afar, but keep herself safe. But this DUI that we mentioned a moment ago did happen after they broke up, they started dating around 2016 and they worked together through 2018. I'd loved their work together, the two main songs at the way, which is on her album and my favorite part, which is on him, his album. I mentioned there was a shift in the music around this part discussing the struggle with addiction and depression, isolation, but he also wanted to write a lot more about love. He was looking forward to that and he was in love. Right, he was experiencing love with someone who still holds him pretty close to her heart.

18:44We've heard her publicly talk about him and the heartbreak she experienced after he passed away. She also mentions in Thank You Next, how grateful she is for Malcolm. Well, of course she's talking about Mac there. She's kind of dogging on the other relationships that she mentions pretty clearly there. She talks about Ricky, she talks about clearly Pete Davidson, and then she says Malcolm, and for him, I'm so grateful. However, the exact words are so she still does have this love for him. It's so clear. As we're talking about the relationship and the end of it and her Ariana's feelings towards him still, I think if we back up and look at the short amount of time and everything that happened after their breakup, it's understandable that she wasn't able to move on by the time he had passed away. So they broke up. He gets his DUI. He releases his album on August 3rd, 2018, and then five weeks later, he unexpectedly passes away on September 7th, 2018.

19:55He was only 26 years old. The cause of death was listed as mixed drug toxicity involving fentanyl cocaine and alcohol. Now there is some unsavory activity the day before lots of texts back and forth to receive drugs while he's at a studio to two different individual. He was requesting lots of different types of illicit drugs and alcohol and also was offered from one of the individuals to send the drugs with a girl for sex work basically. Max spent thousands, I think that particular individual was just three thousand dollars and then the other one was in the thousands as well. Yeah, so he spent a good amount of money the night before he passed away.

20:56Unfortunately, one of those pills that he got was counterfeit and contained fentanyl. And if you don't understand that there's fentanyl in something you're taking, we see so many overdoses and subsequent deaths because of this because fentanyl can kill you with the smallest amount. Honestly, as you know, a few weeks ago on this. As some of you may know, a few weeks ago, I was having a procedure done. I mentioned that that's why we had a break for a week because I had a procedure. I was freaking out because I had to get knocked out and this is one of the drugs they used to do that now, obviously under medical care, it's going to be appropriately dosed and appropriately used, but it's so deadly. And it just freaks me out like I get like triggered even like hearing about this drug and how one of his counterfeit pills had it in it and like to me, that's like likely was like such a main catalyst to what the medical examiner was causing this mixed drug toxicity.

22:08I just have to believe that it played such a major role in that. And because mixed drug toxicity played a role in his death, there was a federal investigation surrounding the supply of these drugs. They wanted to go down the entire drug supply chain and figure out who was involved and who was ultimately responsible for giving him these counterfeit drugs. Throughout the course of the investigation, prosecutors found three people involved Cameron Pettit who supplied Mac with these counterfeit pills, Stephen Walter who was involved in supplying the drugs and Ryan Revis who was involved further upstream in the distribution of these counterfeit pills. I bring these people up because after Mac died, Cameron Pettit heard about the news and became concerned that he was responsible for supplying the drugs that ultimately ended Mac's life.

23:14And there are text exchanges where he's talking with a friend about possibly leaving the country and about the guilt he felt. But even with that guilt, he says he felt he continued to sell these counterfeit pills and put other people's lives in danger. Ultimately, Ryan and Stephen were ultimately Ryan and Stephen pleaded guilty to federal drug charges connected to this case and so did Cameron. All of them faced countless years of jail time because of it. In the wake of his death, there was a very publicly grieving Ariana fans loved ones and his family made the decision in conjunction with the producer to release circles, which is an album that was essentially finished before his death. It was kind of a companion album to swimming, which was one of his last albums.

24:20But of course now it stands on its own because it was released in, I want to say it was released in 2020. So it took a little while, but they got it together and there's still releasing music of his. I think there was something released in 25 or this year. It's such an incredible courtesy to the public and to fans that this work is being released posthumously. I'm personally so grateful and I wasn't even a large fan before in terms of like, oh, I listened to him all the time. So this story is just sad. I hate ending it because I feel like it means like it's like the end again. Like I feel like I need to go like listen to him today. I'm serious. I get it kind of the story kind of deeply affects me. He's such a potentially part of the 27 club almost and almost made it. And I feel like the more we discuss on tragic Hollywood stories like this, the more I see the 27 club doesn't take being 27 to make it to become a part of it.

25:22They're all tragic Hollywood stories. I want to lift it up a little bit here with a quote from Mac himself, which is, you make your mistakes, your mistakes never make you and that's actually from a song called perfect circle, God speed. But it's so fitting. I think when we talk about these stories and the humanity that should be remembered behind them until our next episode, you know where to find us at the murder diaries. Podcast on YouTube at the murder diaries pod on all of our socials. And don't forget our schedule Mondays, tragic Hollywood Tuesdays, Docu files and Thursdays a true crime case that needs your attention. Thanks for being here. Bye. At QVC, fall shopping is more than just checking out. It's discovering the brands you love across beauty, fashion, home and culinary all in one place. Whether you're getting ready for crisp mornings, cozy nights or everyday moments, QVC has what you need for the season ahead with brands like Laura Geller, philosophy, ninja and so many more.

26:33Shop now at QVC.com. Hello there. I'm Dave and his keen on my podcast, the Brain Food Show, our team, including the great Simon Whistler, our own devices, and a little Messier and Fact Fiends Carl Smallwood serve up fascinating facts and stories that will blow your mind. From ancient mysteries to scientific curiosities to deep dive history, we deliver knowledge that will help you become the star of Watercooler Talk, the world over. Listen to the Brain Food Show wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Cassidy and I'm Amanda and we're the host of Drinking the Cool Aid, a comedy podcast dedicated to the mysterious. Tune in every week while we cover two chilling tales about everything from cult to aliens to the paranormal, all with sense of humor, so grab a drink and tune in to Drinking the Cool Aid wherever you get your podcasts. Are you fascinated by true crime stories that join me on the casual criminalist podcast where we dive deep into some of the most intriguing criminal cases of our time from the Oakland County Char Killer to the bizarre case of poor Warner power, the Mounties sent himself to the electric chair.

27:35I'm going to take you on a journey through the criminal minds and explore the toughest cases twice each week we bring you a new story such as the Lulele Lemon Murder and John Lennon or the Barfighter turned arsonist and murderer. If you're ready for a journey into the world of true crime and subscribe now to the casual criminalist. Hey everyone, it's Kristen from True Crime Creepers. Every week I tell my friend and true crime newbie Mogab about a case she's never heard before but that I've been obsessing over. We talk about all the real life creeps from serial killers to con artists so if you're into dark tales with a touch of humor tune in wherever you get your podcasts.