Ariana Grande couldn't stop praising her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller during a recent public appearance. The Thank You, Next crooner revealed, while speaking to students at Chapman University, that her former boyfriend Miller, who passed away from a drug overdose in 2018, had been the one to point her in the direction of R&B-influenced pop music. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostAriana Grande told the crowd that she’s really thankful to Miller for “finding her sound.” According to the Wicked actress, that was the reason she included him in her track “The Way”.”Not only because he was perfect for the song,” she said, “but I also felt like I had him to thank for finding my sound.”The breakout single charted in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and was the first song from either artist to do so. Miller and Grande also collaborated on "My Favorite Part" and a remix of the pop anthem "Into You."More details about Ariana Grande and Mark Miller’s relationship exploredGrande and Miller were friends before they began dating in 2016. They made their relationship official with an Instagram post in September 2016. They dated for a while and amicably ended the relationship in May 2018. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostIn September 2018, Miller died of an accidental overdose. Ariana Grande has spoken fondly about Miller since his passing, adding in a 2020 interview with Zane Lowe that she admired the late rapper’s work ethic:"Nothing was more important,” she said. “Talk about losing track of time and forgetting to eat, [having to] remind yourself to take care of yourself and be a person. He was a person who gave literally every single second of his thought, time, and life to his music.”On the 10th anniversary of The Way Grande’s first collab with Miller, the former penned an emotional post, adding that she loved him.In the year following Mac Miller’s death, Ariana Grande revealed to Vogue how she was struggling to accept that he was gone.“It's pretty all-consuming," the ‘7 Rings’ singer told the publication. “By no means was what we had perfect, but, like, f*ck. He was the best person ever, and he didn't deserve the demons he had. I was the glue for such a long time, and I found myself becoming...less and less sticky. The pieces just started to float away.”Also read: Are Jaxson Dart and his ex-girlfriend Lola Sexton still together? Giant’s rookie’s relationship explored as Alix Earle shuts down DM speculationAlso read: "Looks like he went on Ozempic": Internet jokes as Millie Bobby Brown responds after fans say Vecna looks slimmer in Stranger Things season 5