About a week ago, the world lost another talented artist. The drama surrounding his death has been monumental, and perhaps, unnecessary. Rather than focusing on the negatives of his death, let's try to remember him for the creative, positive person he was.
1. He was a musical genius (duh).
GiphyOne of the many things Mac Miller will be remembered for is his musical talent. It's easy to say he'd been making great music for years now, and many of us were hoping for more. His last album, Swimming, was popular among many people. As a junior in college, my friends and I have been listening to his music since high school. It's hard to forget someone who makes such honest and beautiful art.
2. He was a good friend to many.
Outside of his art, Mac Miller was a good friend to many others in the music industry. After news of his death, many other artists posted positive, kind-hearted messages all over social media. While I did not know him personally (although I wish I did), many of the artists who posted about his death claimed they were losing a "good friend" or even a "brother." Artists like Kehlani, SZA, and more talked about all of the plans they had with Mac the following week. The loss of Mac Miller was a huge loss for many.
3. He was honest about his life and his struggle.
Many people respected Mac Miller, and still do, because of his honesty about substance abuse throughout his career. In fact, he remained honest about everything in his life, including struggling with mental health issues. Transparency can be hard to come by when it comes to celebrities, but he was always the exception.
You might ask, "Why does that matter? We get it, he was honest." But it's more important than that. Mental health is not a conversation that most public figures are willing to have, but the more openly it is discussed, the more people struggling with it won't feel alone.
4. He was (and is) an inspiration to many.
The truth of the matter is that Mac was inspiring. He was creative, positive, and honest. Like many celebrities claimed after his death, he was a positive light who brought the good out of everyone. So let's try to remember him for that. Let's honor his life and everything he made out of 26 years by celebrating who he was and exemplifying it in our own lives. If you loved him and his music half as much as I did, you'll let him be remembered forever. Oh, and let's also keep the conversation about mental health going strong.
