EZ Mac.

Larry Fisherman.

Mac Miller.

Three different monikers. Three different characters. One unforgettable rapper.

On Friday, Sept. 7th, rapper Mac Miller was found dead in his home of an apparent drug overdose. He was 26.

Prior to his death, Miller was scheduled to go on tour upon the release of his new album, ‘Swimming.’ He tweeted his excitement about the tour less than 24 hours before he died.

Malcolm James McCormick, also known as Mac Miller, rose to the hip-hop scene in 2010 with the release of his mixtape, K.I.D.S. Miller’s carefree attitude, feel-good songs, and effortless lyrics made him a household name.

Despite Miller’s mainstream success, however, the rapper battled with depression and substance abuse, the latter resulting in his ultimate demise.

Miller had spoken about his drug use frequently in interviews and in his songs.  In his 2016 documentary, Stopped Making Excuses, Miller ironically speaks out against addiction and overdosing while clips of him drinking Promethazine, or lean, accompany his narration.  In his music video for “Self Care,” Miller is trapped in a coffin, smoking a cigarette, despite the lack of oxygen.

Ultimately, Miller met his maker. Not only was the hip-hop world deeply affected by the rapper’s passing, but the students of Pace were also devastated by the tragedy.

Chelsea Covino, a sophomore at Pace, remembered listening to Miller’s songs as a preteen.

“I loved him in sixth grade. Every time I was with my friends he was playing in the background,” Covino said. “I also used to watch his show, ‘Mac Miller and the Most Dope Family.’ I just loved his carefree attitude.”

However, Covino realized that Miller’s happy-go-lucky onscreen persona was different from what was actually happening in the rapper’s life.

“Learning about his drug problem was interesting to me because in his show he didn’t seem like he used drugs,” the sophomore said, “but then behind the scenes, I realized that drugs were a big part of his life. It made me pretty sad.”

Another Pace student was so affected by Miller’s death that he decided to temporarily give up his own artistic craft, a shock to those who know him.

Max, a junior at Pace, was at the Pleasantville Diner with his friend when his brother texted him the tragic news. Max stared at his phone in disbelief. When his friends asked him what was wrong, Max jumped up from the table, went to the bathroom, and broke down.

“His death really took a toll on me. Every album he dropped was a phase I was going through,” Max, who asked for partial anonymity due to the nature of the story, said. “A lot of people texted me about it but I didn’t respond to anyone. I was just absorbing. I was shocked.”

Max was a digital cinema and filmmaking major but changed it upon hearing about Miller’s passing. He is taking a break from writing and directing due to the fear of facing the same fate at Miller.

“His death spoke to me. Artists go through a lot on a real level, and you could see the pain in Mac Miller’s art,” Max said. “What I took from that is that I wouldn’t want to have to live through a situation where I would have to willingly put myself through heartbreaks, drugs.”

“After he died, I realized how much of the same habits I had, because I would allow external situations to affect me,” he continued. “I would put that pain onto myself. I don’t want to feel too attached to writing. I was taking a lot of drugs over the summer, and it was making my writing better, but that was the scary thing. Mac Miller was relying on drugs that made him creative, but he allowed the drugs to control him when he wrote.”

Althoug Max is leaving behind his love of all things film, for now, he revealed that Miller’s death also inspired him to sober up.

“I slowed down with my drug usage. I haven’t smoked weed or cigarettes in over a month,” the junior said. “I realized ‘Am I falling into the same category as Mac?'”

“His death is the trigger, the wake-up call, that I needed to start working on myself before I ventured on a road that could lead to my own demise.”

Whether fans knew the rapper from his early days as EZ Mac or started listening to his music near the end of his life, Mac Miller’s emotional impact will forever be etched into the hearts of Pace University students.

“I’m going to miss him so much,” Max said, “but his music will live on forever.”