Rapper G-Eazy had to "dig deep" to find the strength to perform just moments after learning of close pal Mac Miller's death.
The Self Care hitmaker passed away from an accidental drug overdose on 7 September (18) and the news broke as G-Eazy and his Endless Summer Tour companions Ty Dolla $ign and Lil Uzi Vert were preparing for showtime in Tampa, Florida.
The 29 year old had been in the middle of a meet-and-greet session with fans when he sensed something wasn't right.
"It was so hard. I was in my meet-and-greet and... I didn't know, I hadn't been on my phone...," he explained during an interview on Complex's Open Late with Peter Rosenberg show.
"I see Ty really emotional and I had never seen him like that. I was like, 'What's going on?'" G-Eazy said.
"Everybody was being really funny and as soon as my meet-and-greet was over, they (his managers) walked me to my dressing room and wouldn't tell me until I got in, and they told me and it hit me like really, really, really heavily."
G-Eazy and his tourmates each had to push aside the tragedy to press on with their concert commitments, but it was a real emotional struggle.
"We had a show to do that night, and it just felt like, how do you get up there and do this on this night?" he shared. "I had to really dig deep to find a way to do it and to talk about it in the right way, to honour somebody who had given the world so much through his voice."
He dedicated the track Everything Will Be OK to Miller and broke down onstage as he urged crowdmembers to appreciate the blessings in their lives and tell the ones they cherish they love them.
"It was a hard day, getting up on stage that night and just breaking down," G-Eazy admitted, "but ultimately... it was like a good, powerful moment for the fans."
The No Limit star also shared a few words about the "really amazing, powerful, beautiful stuff" Miller had given to the world through his music and through his presence.
"It's one of those situations where it really is what people say: he affected so many people in such a powerful way by being such a pure, amazing soul and spirit," he concluded. "You hear it in the music and everything."
