Mac Miller may be gone, but artists are making sure he’s not forgotten.
Anderson .Paak, 32, remembered the late rapper on Tuesday night with a speech at the 2018 BET Hip Hop Awards in Miami, Fla. Miller died in early September of a suspected drug overdose.
“Legends never die,” .Paak told the crowd at The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater. “And Mac Miller was not, but is, a whole legend. Okay?”
.Paak continued to heap praise on Miller, who he said “did more in 26 years than some of y’all could do in three lifetimes.”
ALL THAT REMAINS GUITARIST OLI HERBERT DEAD AT 44
Miller was also a personal source of inspiration for .Paak.
“He not only influenced me, but he influenced a whole generation of new, creative, independent artists,” .Paak, born Brandon Paak Anderson, shared.
The rapper, who collaborated with Miller on the 2016 song “Dang!,” later took time to directly address his “brother.”
TOP MODEL DIES SHORTLY AFTER MOTHER DIES FROM BOWEL CANCER BATTLE: REPORT
“Thank you Mac for all the good times,” he said, “Thank you for being you.”
.Paak said Miller, born Malcolm McCormick, is going to “live on forever,” citing the Mac Miller Circle Fund, an arts organization aimed at offering support to youth, and his music.
“Yes, Lord! We love you Mac!” he shouted while concluding the speech.