The light is coming. Ariana Grande is slowly picking up the pieces following the September 7 death of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller.
The “God is a Woman” singer, 25, was spotted dancing in the rain with friends on Tuesday, September 18, in New York City. Rocking buns and gray sweats, Grande also sipped iced coffee and laughed with her pals as they chose to face the wet weather head-on instead of seeking shelter.
The outing came just one day after a rep for the “No Tears Left to Cry” songstress confirmed she would not be attending the 2018 Emmys on Monday, September 17 — 10 days after Miller died at the age of 26 of an apparent overdose. “Given the events of the past couple of years, Ariana is going to take some much needed time to heal and mend,” the statement read. “She will be staying close to home and using this period to spend time with her loved ones and work on new music without deadline.” The statement also added that Grande’s fiancé, Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson, would remain with her in New York.
Grande and the “Self Care” rapper had dated for nearly two years before they broke up for good in 2018. A source revealed exclusively to Us that the “Side to Side” singer was “absolutely heartbroken” over her former beau’s death. “He was a huge part of her life, and they always shared such a special bond,” the insider told Us. “She wanted nothing but positivity in Mac’s life after they broke up.”
Since news of Miller’s death made headlines, Grande has been keeping his memory alive by honoring him on social media. On Friday, September 14, Grande shared a heart-wrenching throwback clip of Miller calling her “baby” while telling her, “I’ll tell you the story as many times as you want.” She captioned the sweet moment, “i adored you from the day i met you when i was nineteen and i always will. i can’t believe you aren’t here anymore. i really can’t wrap my head around it. we talked about this. so many times. i’m so mad, i’m so sad i don’t know what to do.”
“you were my dearest friend. for so long. above anything else. i’m so sorry i couldn’t fix or take your pain away. i really wanted to. the kindest, sweetest soul with demons he never deserved,” she continued, before adding, “I hope you’re okay now. rest.” Prior to that, she shared a black-and-white photo of Miller one day after his death. She’s also posted his songs “Dunno” — which many people have speculated was inspired by Grande — and “Ladders” off his most recent album, Swimming.
