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Celebrity status in the United States has all the makings of a devastating disease. The intense scrutiny forced upon its victims forces the revelation of the most intimate of details and a rapid loss of privacy. So often we have seen private information revealed about our favorite celebrities, before they even realize that information has been leaked. With this being said, everyone has their demons and skeletons that they would very much like to keep hidden. However, there comes a time in every celebrity’s career when they decide to get a little more personal with the public and their fans by revealing a little known truth about themselves before the media can even get a scent of the story. Their reasons for the proclamation are their own. More importantly, the power to spin whatever negatives they reveal into positives, now lies in their hands.

J Records hosted an advanced screening of a documentary about R&B crooner Mario’s life with his mother as she struggled with her addiction to heroin, entitled I Won’t Love You to Death. MTV’s Sway hosted the event and gave opening remarks. Then the lights dimmed and what followed was a very compelling  film. The documentary took a comprehensive look at Mario as he toured the world and struggled with his mother’s addiction. It is very easy to get lost in the onstage personas that many artists are forced present,. yet we forget that these artists are people with their own pain and their own crosses to bear. We see Mario, the son who worries about his mother and cries when the pain becomes too much.  By end of the documentary fans will hopefully see Mario, the man.

After the viewing was complete Sway made closing remarks. Then Mario and his mother, both obviously overcome with so many emotions fielded questions from the audience. Mario explained his hopes that his story will perhaps help others in similar situations. Furthermore he and his mother have founded an organization (Mario’s Do Right Foundation) to do just that.

Mario’s decision to reveal his truth gives his fans and people everywhere a chance to really see him, perhaps for the first time. In a world where the most miniscule of details can be can be found about our favorite celebrities, it gets hard even as a journalist to not feel as though you have certain understanding of certain people. If there is one lesson that can be taken from all of this, it is simply that when it comes to the lives of people we are not intimately acquainted with, all we can do is presume we know them, but we really have no idea.

For more information on Mario’s Do Right Foundation please go to http://www.Mariodoright.org