Hip-Hop sensation Mac Miller’s name was the third most trending Google search term in 2018, according to the internet giant’s Year in Search.
He died at the age of 26 about a month after releasing his critically acclaimed fifth album, Swimming.
The Google search interest to the Pittsburgh-raised rapper was due to the untimely nature of his passing, his popularity in Hip-Hop and high-profile relationship with Ariana Grande.
Mac Miller dated the singer for about two years and the relationship ended in May 2018. Some fans attempted to blame Grande for Miller’s death despite the rapper publicly speaking about his drug addiction several years before their relationship.
Mac Miller’s drug overdose was ruled accidental and the 26-year-old rapper was pronounced dead at the scene. Miller was scheduled for a video shoot the day he passed away. His death was reported as a fatal mix of fentanyl, alcohol, and cocaine.
Aside from topping the Google search on the day he died, September 7, 2018, Mac Miller was also the top trend on Twitter and Facebook as fans and Hip-Hop artist paid tribute to the recording artist.
Ariana Grande has paid several tributes to Mac Miller since his death. In the lyrics to her hit single Thank U, Next, Grande says the following about Miller: “I could say thank you to Malcolm/Cause he was an angel.”
Google’s 2018 Year in Search showed only “World Cup” and “Hurricane Florence” were Googled more than Mac Miller’s name in 2018. The rest of the top ten were, in order of volume, “Kate Spade”,”Anthony Bourdain”,”Black Panther”,”Mega Millions Results”,”Stan Lee”,”Demi Lovato” and”Election Results”.
The ten most trending celebrity deaths searched for on Google in 2018 were, in order of volume, Mac Miller, Kate Spade, Anthony Bourdain, Stan Lee, Aretha Franklin, XXXTentacion, Mollie Tibbetts, Avicii, Burt Reynolds and John McCain.