Ariana Grande Honors Mac Miller on 6th Anniversary of Their Collaboration ‘The Way’
It’s been six years since Ariana Grande released her hit, “The Way,” but celebrating the anniversary without collaborator Mac Miller appeared to be bittersweet for the singer.
On Monday, Grande, 25, marked the milestone in a somber post on her Instagram story — honoring Miller, who died at the age of 26 on Sept. 7 after an accidental overdose.
“Six years,” she wrote in white font on a black screen, adding a tiny white heart.
Grande and Miller first went public with their relationship in September 2016 and dated for nearly two years before going their separate ways in May 2018, months before his death.
“The Way,” which was released on March 25, 2013, was the first song the couple worked on together (Grande would later guest on Miller’s 2016 track “My Favorite Part”). A ’90s pop R&B-inspired love song, the tune was also the first song of Grande’s career that charted on the Billboard Hot 100.
“I got a bad boy, I must admit it,” Grande sings in the song, cozying up to Miller in the video. “You got my heart, don’t know how you did it / And I don’t care who sees it babe / I don’t wanna hide the way I feel when you’re next to me.”
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Since his death, Grande has made many tributes to Miller.
Most recently, at her Sweetener tour opener in Albany, New York, earlier this month, fans noted that Grande had Miller’s music playing at the venue as attendees waited for the show to begin.
The sweet gesture came just two months after Grande shared a cryptic message on Miller’s birthday. “Miss u,” the “7 Rings” singer wrote on Jan. 19 in a since-deleted tweet, without sharing any additional information.
Other tributes have included tattoos, messages to fans on social media, and even lyrics in her hit song, “Thank U, Next.”
Grande has also been spending time with Miller’s dog Myron, sharing photos of the pooch to her Instagram story on Monday.
Miller first adopted Myron — a pitbull mix — in 2017 from Wylder’s Holistic Pet Center through The Wagmor, a pet hotel in Los Angeles, while he and Grande were still dating.
Their split came as a shock to fans as just one month before, Miller gushed about Grande on Twitter after she released “No Tears Left to Cry.”
“Very proud of this girl right here. Welcome back. We missed You. One of a kind,” he tweeted.
Two weeks later, Grande started dating Pete Davidson. The pair got engaged on June 11, 2018. However, Grande and Davidson called off their engagement that October.