Ariana Grande breaks her silence over tragic death of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller

Last week, on September 7th, news broke that Mac Miller had passed away at the age of 26. The rapper, whose real name was Malcolm McCormick, was found dead at his home in San Fernando Valley, California, after a suspected accidental overdose - something that has yet to be confirmed by a coroner.

In the wake of his death, thousands of fans and fellow musicians took to social media in order to share their thoughts and memories of the late rapper. Post Malone, Snoop Dogg, and Ellen DeGeneres were just some of the stars to post messages of condolence on Twitter, and, more than a day after his passing, Ariana Grande - Miller's recent ex-girlfriend - took to Instagram to share a poignant tribute to a man whom she once said she "respected and adored endlessly".

The black and white photo, which was presumably taken by the God is a Woman singer before the two ended their romantic relationship.

Just moments before that, Miller's mother had shared a picture of her son looking happy and at-ease while at a baseball game.

This followed the family's statement on the rapper's passing, in which they thanked his fans for their prayers.

"Malcolm McCormick, known and adored by fans as Mac Miller, has tragically passed away at the age of 26," they said. "He was a bright light in this world for his family, friends and fans. Thank you for your prayers. Please respect our privacy. There are no further details as to the cause of his death at this time."

Unlike Miller's mother's emotional Instagram post, however, Grande's did not have a caption, and all of her comments have been disabled due to her receiving a lot of hate and abuse from people who blame her for Miller's death.

These sorts of messages prompted fans of the singer to defend her on Twitter, with many of them reminding people that she, too, was grieving, and needed time to process Miller's death.

"The amount of tweets blaming Ariana Grande for what happened to Mac Miller is disgusting, his addiction and lack of help is what drove this to happen, don't point the finger and blame," wrote one user.

"All she did was to remove herself from a toxic situation. She wanted him sober. There is nothing wrong with that," added another.

This is not the first time that Grande has received abuse for something that Miller did, either.

After the pair ended their relationship, Miller got into a car accident while drunk driving and fled the scene, later landing himself with a DUI because of the incident. Fans directly blamed Grande for Miller's erratic behaviour, and sent her so many hateful messages that she was forced to post this response on her Instagram:

"I am not a babysitter or a mother and no woman should feel that they need to be. I have cared for him and tried to support his sobriety & prayed for his balance for years... I will continue to pray from the bottom of my heart that he figures it all out and that any other woman in this position does as well."

Maybe once she has had time to process her loss, the 25-year-old singer will say more about Miller's passing, and once again remind fans that she is not responsible for someone else's actions. However, she does not owe anyone any explanation, and - for now, at least - should just be left alone to grieve.

Our thoughts are with Ariana and anyone else who is mourning the loss of Mac Miller at this difficult time.