Ariana Grande pays tribute to ex-boyfriend rapper Mac Miller

Singer Ariana Grande paid a poignant tribute on Friday to rapper Mac Miller, a week after her former boyfriend died at age 26.

“I adored you from the day I met you when I was nineteen and I always will,” Grande wrote on Instagram in her first public reaction to Miller’s death from a reported overdose.

The two split up in May, and Grande has faced attacks on social media by people claiming she was the cause of Miller’s death.

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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. i hope you’re okay now. rest.

A post shared by Ariana Grande (@arianagrande) on Sep 14, 2018 at 12:40pm PDT

“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,” Grande further wrote.

Miller, who released his fifth album in August, spoke openly about his struggle with addiction.

“the kindest, sweetest soul with demons he never deserved. i hope you’re okay now. rest,” Grande wrote.