In it, the pop diva played a young singer who endured a rocky childhood and worked her way up to the New York City music scene, eventually becoming the star she’d always been.
The romance film became an instant hit, but just one year later, Carey’s real life came crashing down. In 2001, the “We Belong Together” singer suffered a complete emotional and physical breakdown. It took rehab, time away from the spotlight and bipolar disorder medication to get Carey, 48, stable again.
REELZ’s new docuseries gives viewers a look back at Carey’s struggle and rise to fame. Featuring first-hand accounts from her closet collaborators, friends and family members, Mariah Carey: The Diva, The Drama exposes the dramatic forces that shaped the star’s life in the public eye and the demons that nearly killed her two decades ago.
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“She was definitely crumbling under the weight of her own expectations. It just seemed to have finally reached critical mass,” says biographer Marc Shapiro in the docuseries.
Police received a 911 call from Carey’s mother, Patricia, who was inside the home with the singer at the time of her breakdown.
“I was very disturbed and manic. She was yelling, breaking a bunch of objects,” says Carey’s brother, Morgan Carey, recalling the incident.
“Mariah had literally reached rock bottom,” adds Shapiro.
Hip hop producer and former boyfriend Damion “Damizza” Young had been working with Carey on and off for several years. At the time of her crisis, they were still close friends, and hearing of her meltdown, he rushed to see her.
“She didn’t feel safe anywhere,” recalls Young. “It was so bad to where I said, ‘You have to go to the hospital.’”
As they were in the car, driving to the emergency room, Carey tried to open the door.
“Watching your best friend try to jump out of a moving car… it was bad,” says Young.
Mariah Carey: The Diva, The Drama airs Sunday, March 24 at 9 ET / PT on REELZ.
