John Mayer Explains Why He Turned Down a Mac Miller Tribute

In the months following Mac Miller’s tragic death, John Mayer honored the Pittsburgh rapper through musical performances and poignant words on social media. However, the guitarist recently admitted that he had turned down a Miller tribute piece after realizing he had nothing more to share. Mayer opened up about the revelation in a heartfelt Instagram post. 

“I was sent an email asking if I wanted to take part in a Mac Miller tribute for a magazine […] I passed on it, not because I didn’t want to talk more about him, but because I couldn’t; I had shared all the memories I had of him in the brief time of our getting to know one another,” Mayer wrote in the caption of a Miller photo. “[…] That day, I discovered a new dimension to the sadness of his passing—I wasn’t upset because I knew him well. I was upset because I didn’t. I wish I had more to tell you about Mac Miller. What I do have to remember him by are a couple of beautiful mental photographs that I’ll keep with me the rest of my life.”

Mayer opened up about the late rapper in Complex’s November 2018 cover story. He spoke about their collaboration on “Small Worlds” and also touched on Miller’s personal struggles.

“I just wish it wasn’t fatal,” Mayer said about the rapper’s accidental overdose. “I just wish figuring out your life didn’t take your life away from you. I don’t have an answer for how to fix that, but once you get old enough to understand how valuable life is.”