John Mayer Reveals a 'New Dimension' to Mac Miller's Passing in Emotional Post

John Mayer paid tribute to the late rapper Mac Miller on Instagram Friday, sharing his sadness over only spending a few moments with him.

"Several weeks ago, I was sent an email asking if I wanted to take part in a Mac Miller tribute for a magazine as part of an end-of-year recap," Mayer wrote, alongside a photo of Miller. "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. I replied to the email and sat in silence for a few minutes."

Mayer continued, "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."

Miller and Mayer worked together on the song "Small Worlds," which appeared on Miller's album Swimming. The album earned a nomination for the Best Rap Album Grammy.

After Miller's death in September, Mayer said 2018 was "going to be Mac Miller's year" and that he "made a quantum leap in his music."

"That's incredibly hard to do, to evolve and get better and more focused while your career is already underway. You don't get there without a lot of work, and Mac had put the work in," Mayer wrote on Sept. 8.

The guitarist added that he was at Miller's final show, an intimate performance at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles, in front of 100 people.

"Mac put in the work. He made his best album and formed the band that was weeks away from becoming a breakout live sensation. Believe me when I say that," Mayer wrote at the time. "I send my love and support to everyone who knew him better, because what relative little I did, I just adored."

In an interview with Complex, Mayer said he enjoyed working with Miller so much that he did not want to be paid for playing on "Small Worlds." Mayer said he did not even want credit on the album because it would take attention away from Miller's work.

"I just wish it wasn't fatal," Mayer told Complex of Miller's death. "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, you look at people and go, 'I just wish you could work this out.'"

Miller died on Sept. 7, 2018 at age 26. Two months after his death, Mayer joined Miller's other collaborators for a benefit concert in Los Angeles for the new Mac Miller Circles Fund to support youth arts and other programs.

In November, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office ruled the rapper died from "mixed drug toxicity" and had fentanyl and cocaine in his system. His death was ruled an accidental overdose.

Photo credits: Getty Images