The Sad Truth About Mario’s Life Story

R&B singer Mario has gained legions of fans thanks to his passionate music. What many people don’t know are the struggles that he has faced throughout his life, especially his contentious relationship with his mother. Here’s the sad truth about Mario’s life story.

A difficult upbringing

Mario’s life story begins on August 27, 1986, in Baltimore. He was born to Derryl Barrett Sr., a gospel singer, and Shawntia Hardaway. According to Baltimore Magazine, life was rough, especially since Mario’s mother dealt with addiction issues. While his mother battled her personal demons, Mario would bounce around between his mom’s house and his grandmother’s residence. 

Despite what was going on around him, he always dreamed of being a singer. When he would go to the barbershop, his mom would encourage him to sing for the customers, they enjoyed his talent and would give him a couple of dollars. Mario’s mom saw his potential, bought him a karaoke machine, and took him to participate in various talent shows. After singing Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love to You” at a talent show when he was 11, he blew the judges away and won the competition. Troy Patterson, owner, and CEO of the Third Street Music Group production, was in the audience. He approached Mario following the show praising his talent and soon became his manager. 

A new guardian & music success

Sadly, tragedy struck in 1999 when Mario’s grandmother passed away, and he was forced to live with his mom full-time. In 2001, when Mario was a freshman in high school, his mom allowed Troy to become his legal guardian. Mario moved to New Jersey, where he began working on his demo. After catching Clive Davis’ attention, he was signed to J Records and appeared on the soundtrack for Dr. Doolittle 2.

By February 2002, Mario was on the road to stardom. He released his lead single “Just a Friend,” which was a remake of the Biz Markie classic. The single peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. Days later, he sang Stevie Wonder’s timeless song “You and I” at Clive’s annual Grammy party. The guests described Mario’s performance as “captivating.” He went on to release his debut self-titled album on March 19, 2002, and it was certified gold.

Mario hit the road in the summer of 2003 to appear on the Scream 3 Tour. The young singer kept his foot on the gas and started working on his second album, entitled Turning Point. Released on December 7, 2004, 18-year-old Mario was ready to show the world that he was no longer the cute little boy they adored. The new album featured more adult songs, like “Let Me Love You,” which was written by then up-and-coming superstar Ne-Yo. The single hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and stayed there for nine weeks straight. Both the single and the album earned him two Grammy nominations. 

Personal battles

In 2006, things got rocky when Mario accused Troy of involving him in an, quote, “oppressive production deal.” According to Reuters, Mario took Troy to court and claimed he only received $50,000 for selling 3 million records, while J Records made $20 million. Troy filed a suit of his own and accused Mario of breach of contract. They came to a confidential and amicable agreement, and everything was settled by January 2007.

In October 2007, Mario confronted his past via an MTV documentary entitled, “The Story of Mario and His Mom.” In the program, Mario described seeing paraphernalia in their home while growing up and was always worried about his mom because sometimes he wouldn’t see her for days or weeks at a time. 

At one point in the documentary, Mario and those close to his mom staged an intervention. He told her, “I want to give you the gift of life, like you gave me.” His mom had already relapsed several times at this point and had refused treatment.

Though there were lots of loving moments between the two, the tension was always at the forefront. Mario constantly tried to talk to his mom about her choices and would accuse her of spending too much time in the bathroom. She would deny she had a problem and would start confrontations with Mario’s new manager, J. Erving. Although Mario wanted his mom to be a part of his team, he was worried about her issues. By the end of the documentary, his mom decided to get treatment and said, “I’m tired of living my life in the bathroom. Cause one day I may go in there and never come out.”

According to Baltimore Magazine, around this time, Mario was able to afford a condo for him and his mom to live in. He even spoiled her with expensive shopping sprees. Yet, he blamed himself for enabling her.

Speaking out about substance abuse

Following the documentary, the singer’s third studio album entitled Go was released on December 11, 2007. Mario got very personal with one song, in particular, called “Do Right.” It touched on his mother’s substance problems.

He would often feel powerless about his mom’s situation. In an interview with Seventeen Magazine, he admitted she missed a lot of important moments in his life and put him through a lot. He admitted to selling substances at one point in his life, but decided the street life wasn’t for him and made it his mission to help others instead. In 2008, he co-founded The Mario Do Right Foundation. The organization’s mission was to help kids who had parents dealing with substance issues. 

In April 2009, Mario released his fourth album, D.N.A. The album helped put him back on top with the lead single, “Break Up” featuring Sean Garrett and Gucci Mane.

A turn of events

Mario’s life story continued to unravel in October 2010 when he was locked up for allegedly putting hands on his mother inside their Baltimore apartment. According to MTV, his mom claimed Mario used his hands and forearms to push her in the chest and shoulder area. She also claimed it wasn’t the first time things had gotten physical between them.

Mario was released on a $50,000 bond, and according to Baltimore Magazine, his mom recanted her statements. She admitted she was under the influence at the time the alleged incident took place and that nothing happened. The charges against Mario were then dropped.

Major setbacks

Over the next few years, he faced setbacks in releasing albums. There was a major shake-up with his record label when RCA Records shut down J Records in October 2011. This meant that Mario was forced to record with RCA. He released a few singles, but an album never surfaced. According to Revolt, he left the label due to creative differences.

In 2013, Mario spoke with CocoFab about his relationship with his mom and said they had put some space between them, which actually helped their relationship. He added, “We have better communication, better respect and understanding.”

Next, Mario’s life story took him out to L.A., while his mom remained in Maryland. He admitted that his relationship with his mother affected how he dealt with women, but he was in a better place. He told Vibe magazine he had undergone a lot of personal growth and was finally dealing with things that happened to him while growing up.

Losing the one he loves

Sadly, in June 2017, Mario’s mom passed away from an overdose at the age of 49. Mario channeled his sadness into his music and released the album Dancing Shadows in October 2018. It was his first album in nearly a decade.

In 2019, he opened up to People Magazine about the loss of his mother. He explained how his mom’s issues affected his family as a whole. He said, “It’s really important that you take time for yourself to heal and to unblame yourself. Realize that your love is the most important thing to that person.”

We wish him nothing but the best as he continues his journey toward love, forgiveness, and success.

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