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MARIO REVEALS MOTHER'S DRUG ADDICTION: R&B crooner documents journey to get her clean in MTV special.
*R&B singer Mario had MTV cameras shadow him this summer to chronicle his efforts to save his mother from a crippling drug addiction.
"I Won't Love You to Death: The Story of Mario and His Mom," which aired on the music channel last night, followed the artist and his mother, Shawn Hardaway, as she struggled to kick her dependence to heroin.
"It's a documentary showing the relationship with my mother, and her obstacles that she had to overcome as an addict, a drug addict. She was addicted to heroin most of her life — she's clean now," Mario told The Associated Press in an interview this week.
Hardaway, a pianist, was Mario's early inspiration to delve into music, he said.
"She had a lot to do with me acknowledging music in the first place. She kept good music around," said Mario. "She was the person who encouraged me to do those talent shows, and ultimately allowed people to see my talent."
But his mom's addiction kept him from fully celebrating his various professional achievements. And it was her addiction that caused his childhood to be cut short.
"I was about nine or 10. I remember seeing needles on the dresser, and her with like — I can't remember if it was a belt — something around her arm and she was just like, sleep on the bed," said Mario. "That was the first time I ever noticed anything weird and after that it was just, I guess, her personality and her mood swings, and that type of thing. And just her not being around for long periods of time."
Hardaway's journey toward sobriety began with an on-camera intervention attended by her famous son, her boyfriend, a close family friend and an interventionist. When offered the chance to get clean, she accepted the challenge and is now nearly four months drug free, says Mario.
The intervention was sparked by the singer's decision not to support his mother's lifestyle anymore. He said the camera presence was very difficult at first.
"I didn't want people to see how I was sometimes aggressive with my mother, or sometimes I would have to raise my voice or I would say things that I really didn't mean," he said. "It was really difficult but it got to the point where I felt like the camera was almost like a book. I was telling a story. I was releasing all of these feelings that I had inside for so long."
He said that both he and his mother hope their story is one that others can relate to.
"I was kinda surprised because I didn't know so many people had gone through the same thing," he said. "It kind of uplifted me a little bit more. And I really felt good about it. And I feel like it's gonna help to save some lives."
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