As a pioneer of television and a celebrated creative collaborator, Carol Burnett has lived a life of wonders. But Burnett, 90, is also a mother, and a mother who suffered the worst grief imagineable. Burnett mourned the untimely death of her firstborn daughter, Carrie Hamilton, in 2002, but it might as well have been yesterday for how often Carrie stays on Burnett’s mind.
Born on December 5, 1963, Carrie Louise Hamilton was the daughter of Burnett with her second husband, television producer Joe Hamilton. The couple would also share daughters Jody and Erin before divorcing in ‘84. Into adulthood, Carrie would work with her mother as a collaborator on several projects, while also building a career in music. Carrie was just 38 when she died, a premature loss that still weighs heavily on the revolutionary television star.
Carol Burnett always keeps her late daughter Carrie Hamilton on her mind
Burnett turned 90 this April and the advanced age prompted her to reflect on life, in all its joys and griefs. “There’s not a day or almost a moment goes by that she’s not with me,” said Burnett, speaking with PEOPLE. “We worked together, we laughed together, we cried together. She was a force.”
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Like her mother, Carrie would go on to become an actress, primarily favoring television, but also appearing in several films. Some of her film credits would include Love Lives On, Tokyo Pop, Shag, Checkered Flag, Cool World, and others. As for TV, she appeared in Murder, She Wrote, Beverly Hills, 90210, Walker, Texas Ranger, Touched by an Angel, and The X-Files, to name a few.
Carrie also collaborated with Burnett on several projects, including a 1990 episode of Carol & Company, along with the play Hollywood Arms.
How Carol Burnett continues to honor Carrie Hamilton and what a daughter taught her mother
When they worked together, Burnett was inspired by the creativity and drive Carrie displayed. But she also witnessed the agonizing struggle Carrie endured when she fell ill.
“When she got sick, I remember she was in the hospital and I would go to see her every day,” shared Burnett. “One day, a nurse at the hospital said, ‘Carrie cheers us up.’ I asked Carrie why she was always cheerful, and her reply was, ‘Everyday I wake up and decide.’ That’s the key word, decide. I say that to myself every morning.”
“I say that to myself every morning,” she added.
For three years, Hamilton battled severe drug abuse; she was successful and clean by the time she was 15, except for a brief relapse at 17. In 2002, Carrie was diagnosed with cancer; it started in her lungs and spread to her brain. She died the following year, in January. In honor of Carrie, Burnett published a memoir titled Carrie and Me: A Mother-Daughter Love Story in 2014. Each day, however, constantly harbors different tributes of their own that all start when Burnett decides.
