Sometimes the Facebook algorithm for bringing up posts from the past can be a little heartbreaking. Other times, it manages to be a gentle reminder of the good that came before. For Ariana Grande, the social media function was a little bit of both yesterday, when it brought up an old silly post of her and former boyfriend Mac Miller, who tragically passed away earlier this year, sparking such an outpouring of grief and tributes in the hip-hop community, that it was clear he had impacted countless lives.
In the funny old post — which Ariana shared to her Instagram story yesterday — the couple are decorated with Facebook’s seasonal Thanksgiving stickers. In the pic, Mac appears to be sleeping, and the caption from Ariana’s 2017 post affectionately calls him “a pie.” For the re-post, she added the simple and succinct message: “you’re v missed.” Holidays are especially hard when you’re dealing with such fresh and unexpected grief, but it’s encouraging to see that Ariana can share her experience, and old, good memories of Mac, with her fans and those who are undoubtedly also missing him this year.
But Grande has a lot to look forward to in the near future, too, the single “Thank U, Next” that she released after breaking up with her former fiance, Pete Davidson, was her first No. 1 hit on the Billboard chart, and the rom-com referencing video looks like it will be a huge hit as well. The song also shouts out Mac with the line “Wish I could say thank you to Malcom / ‘Cause he was an angel” in further tribute.
