Mac Miller death: Ariana Grande pays tribute to ex-boyfriend

The couple broke up earlier this year

Singer Ariana Grande has posted on social media about her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller's death.

In the first public statement since he died of a suspected overdose last week, Grande described him as her "dearest friend" and the "kindest, sweetest soul with demons he never deserved".

In the caption of a video, she said she was "so sorry" she hadn't been able to fix or take his pain away.

Miller, real name Malcolm McCormick, was open about his drug abuse.

He was found dead at his home in California. The official cause of death has not yet been announced.

The video Grande posted on Friday shows the couple laughing together as he asks her to stop filming him when he is telling a story.

The pair met in 2012 and confirmed they were in a relationship in 2016.

They collaborated on a number of songs together, and performed at One Love Manchester after a concert Grande was performing at was targeted by a deadly terror attack in 2017.

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When they broke up earlier this year, Grande described him "one of my best friends in the whole world" and said she would continue to respect and adore him following their separation.

Grande said she was praying he "figures it all out" following their separation

When the rapper was arrested shortly after for driving offences, some fans appeared to blame Grande.

She then released a note describing their relationship as "toxic" and suggested his substance abuse was to blame for the break-up.

"I have cared for him and tried to support his sobriety and prayed for his balance for years (and always will of course) but shaming/blaming women for a man's inability to keep it together is a very major problem," part of her statement had said.

Grande and her new partner comedian Pete Davidson suspended comments on their Instagram accounts shortly after Miller's death after a barrage of replies from fans again blamed them.

Grande is now engaged to Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson

The rapper's friend Shane Powers came out in support of Grande earlier this week, describing her as an "unbelievably stabilising force" for the late rapper.

She had previously posted a black-and-white photograph in tribute to Miller, but Friday's post is the first time she has commented on his death.

No details about the 26-year-old's funeral plans have yet been released but US media report his body was flown back from Los Angeles to his native Pittsburgh earlier this week.