Mac Miller’s former manager has penned a heartwarming tribute to the late rapper, whom he remembers as selfless and “unbelievably talented.”
In an obituary for The Observer, Christian Clancy shared how he and wife Kelly started working with Miller in 2013.
“Managing Mac was about building a safety net around him – to allow him to be who he wanted to be, to make music that represented who he was without the fear of expectations or need for instant gratification,” wrote Clancy. “He had money and success but he craved importance: the ability to show depth, to cement a legacy.”
Clancy said it was impossible “not to fall in love with the human being he was” and recalled some of the rapper’s acts of kindness. He also praised Miller for supporting other artists. “He understood the benefit of lifting others up.”
MORE: Canadian Trainer Harley Pasternak Remembers Mac Miller
Clancy said the last time he saw Miller was two days before his death in September from a drug overdose. “He was very open about his struggles throughout his career, but he had been fully focused and engaged,” he recalled. “He knew the progress he had made, battling his internal dialogue – it wasn’t easy, but he was doing it and feeling the rewards.
“He was happy and in as good a mental state as he had been since we’d known him.”
Clancy called Miller’s death “a punch in the gut.”
He added that Miller was “a spark to so many people.
“In a world dominated by ego, he led with the soul and lived by focusing on similarities rather than differences – that’s a lesson we all could use.”