Rapper ‘Lil Peep’, DJ ‘Avicii’, and baseball player Jose Fernandez are among the high-profile cases of drug overdose deaths in the past few years. Recently added to this list is Malcolm McCormick, better known by his stage name Mac Miller. He died on Friday, Sept. 7 of a drug overdose in his San Fernando Valley home. His death marks a tragic conclusion to the story of one of music culture’s favorite artists.

Mac Miller got his start at 14 when he quit his sports teams to focus on his passion for music. Miller was a self-taught guitar, piano, drums, and bass player. As a teenager, Mac was part of the group The Ill Spoken with fellow Pittsburgh rapper Beedie. In 2010, when he was 18, he signed his first record deal with Rostrum Records. He then began his work on the album “Blue Slide Park.”

During his short, yet successful life he inspired many other artists, including Post Malone and Chance the Rapper. On Twitter, Chance wrote, “I don’t know what to say Mac Miller took me on my second tour ever. But beyond helping me launch my career he was one of the sweetest guys I ever knew. Great man. I loved him for real. Im completely broken. God bless him”. Post Malone had similar sentiments, saying, “you inspired me through highschool, and I wouldn’t be where I was today without you…” Miller’s music was not only influential to today’s music artist, but to many students as well. “His music was really influential in a way that everytime he spoke, you really believed what he was saying, and not a lot of artist really put time into their music and the flow that he had, it kind of took you to another place,” sophomore Avery Barrett said. As an inspiration to many people, Miller was revered as a kind and loving man who was extremely friendly despite struggles with drug abuse in

recent years. Miller attributed his drug abuse to stress, “at one point weed didn’t relax me from everything, it made me more paranoid about all this s**t happening. So I needed to get a drug that was a little more numbing, if you will, and less, like, in your head. I think that’s what sparked me doing other drugs, because I hate being sober. I wanted a drug to do,” Miller said in documentary film Stop Making Excuses. Miller’s struggle was relatable to some students at EHS, as the school year is demanding and stressful. “Drug use in general, I don’t think it’s the best alternative to the way to deal with stress, but it’s understandable. Putting pressure on yourself as a student, it’s understandable to turn to a different way to cope,” sophomore Avery Barrett said.“I know that some people, and a lot of people, use drugs to get by at Edina, but I don’t think it’s right and I think they should find another alternative,” sophomore Mike Blum said. Blum was one of many Mac Miller fans who was saddened by Miller’s tragic death caused by drugs.

In the wake of Mac Miller’s death, he leaves us with a lesson; to stay away from drug use, especially as a substitute for getting help. If you or anyone you know is struggling with drug abuse, don’t hesitate to help. A hotline for drug abuse help is 866.948.9865 and Edina High School has counselors trained to help with this specific issue for any students who may be struggling.