Mac Miller Has Died at 26

Rapper Mac Miller was found dead in his San Fernando Valley home, reports TMZ. Variety and Billboard have confirmed the report.

The family has issued the following statement:

Malcolm McCormick, known and adored by fans as Mac Miller, has tragically passed away at the age of 26. He was a bright light in this world for his family, friends, and fans. There are no further details available as to the cause of his death. Thank you for your prayers. Please respect the family’s privacy at this time.

Born in Pittsburgh as Malcolm James McCormick, Miller relocated to California’s Studio City neighborhood in 2012. He became a fixture of the West coast’s emerging rap scene with a series energetic mixtapes firing off clever raps—starting off with 2007’s Macking Ain't Easy—but moonlighting as a producer under the pseudonym of Larry Fisherman in an effort to get an early Vince Staples to rap. In our 2015 interview with Miller, he said he that he soon sought refuge at Rick Rubin’s house from the substances he relied on earlier in his career, which paved the way for a deal with Warner Bros. Records, ending his independent streak.

2015’s GO:OD AM was billed as his comeback album, an ode to his newfound sobriety, which was a new chapter in his career. He said that it was sonically shaped by his move to New York. “When I was growing up,” he said. “This is where I wanted to live my whole life. Coming to New York was me trying to get a new scene to look at out the window every day.”

That record was the first of a string of self-reflective records, that continued with 2016’s The Divine Feminine and August’s Swimming, which were colorful, emotionally layered maturations on the sound he began his career with.

Miller, as depicted in much of his music, has had a tumultuous year with substance abuse. In May, he was charged with a DUI for crashing his car into a pole, which prompted his ex-girlfriend Ariana Grande to open up about his battle with sobriety. Back in 2015, Noisey writer Craig Jenkins spent a few days with Mac Miller, and just this week he spoke with Jenkins again about his most recent album, Swimming, for Vulture.

Noisey has reached out to Mac Miller's representatives and we'll update this post when we have more information.

This story is developing.