Drugs, Arrests & Ariana’s Anguish: Mac Miller Overdose Death Shock On 1-Year Anniversary
Sept. 9 2019, Updated 12:28 a.m. ET
September 7 marks the one-year anniversary of singer-songwriter Mac Miller’s tragic drug overdose at age 26, and the consequences of his shocking death continue to reverberate to this day.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Miller — born Malcolm James McCormick — lost his struggle with substance abuse issues not long after he and his girlfriend of two-years, Ariana Grande, announced their split.
After his death, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner determined Miller died of mixed drug toxicity involving fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol.
Scroll through RadarOnline.com’s gallery to find out more about Miller’s tragic passing, including the latest breaking news on the arrests of those who authorities claim are responsible for selling the music star tainted drugs.
Signs of Trouble
In May 2018, days after Miller and Grande announced their split and nearly four months before his death, Miller was arrested and booked for driving under the influence and fleeing the scene of a crash. Miller had been driving with two passengers in his 2016 G-Wagon Mercedes when he ran off the road, struck an electrical pole and then left the scene of the crash by foot. Police tracked his car’s plates and apprehended Miller at his address in North Hollywood.
Loved Ones in Turmoil
Grande was forced to defend herself against Miller's angry fans after their breakup and his accident. “How absurd that you minimize female self-respect and self-worth by saying someone should stay in a toxic relationship,” she wrote, in part, on social media. “I am not a babysitter or a mother and no woman should feel that they need to be. I have cared for him and tried to support his sobriety & prayed for his balance for years (and always will of course) but shaming/blaming women for a man’s inability to keep is s**t together is a very major problem. Let’s please stop doing that,” Grande continued.
Tragic News
Sadly, Miller succumbed to his addiction demons and was found dead last September. His body was found near an empty bottle of liquor on his desk. Authorities also discovered a small bag containing “white powdery substance” on a small table in his studio room, according to a police report obtained by RadarOnline.com. The white powdery residue was also found on the rapper’s iPad and within a coat pocket believed to have belonged to the rapper. The coat pocket also contained “multiple loose pills,” the report revealed. Additional paraphernalia at the scene of Miller’s death included a rolled $20 bill with a white residue in the right pocket of his shorts.
Gone Too Soon
During the death investigation, a personal assistant told police that Miller “had been in good spirits lately and had many positive, ongoing projects.”
Trying to Heal
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After Miller’s death, Grande’s relationship with her then-fiancé Pete Davidson began to suffer, and she called it quits with him not long after. At the time, the “No Tears Left to Cry” singer told fans she needed to take “some much needed time to heal and mend.”
New Worries
“After Mac died, that changed everything completely for her and Pete,” a source close to the singer previously told RadarOnline.com. “Ariana realized Mac was the love of her life,” the source continued, adding that her family began to become concerned about Davidson’s admitted drug use.
Touching Tribute
Despite her grief, Grande kicked off her Sweetener Tour in New York last March with a special tribute to Miller. While waiting for the songstress to take the stage, fans got to listen to a string of the late musician’s classics, which were playing on all speakers at the venue. The singer also included Miller on her hit single “thank u, next,” and her track “ghostin” touches on her mourning process after losing him.
Breaking News
In a shocking development, according to a federal criminal complaint provided to RadarOnline.com, just days before the one-year anniversary of Miller’s overdose death, police charged a Hollywood man for allegedly giving the DJ fentanyl-laced pills.
Shocking Allegations
Cameron James Pettit, 28, was arrested on Wednesday, September 4, by special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration and officers with the Los Angeles Police Department and charged with one count of distribution of a controlled substance. According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, Pettit and others allegedly distributed narcotics to Miller approximately two days before he suffered a fatal drug overdose in Studio City.
Justice Served
If convicted of the drug trafficking charge alleged in the complaint, Pettit would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.