CAROL BURNETT - A Lifetime of Heartbreak

THE BELOVED COMEDIAN HAS ALWAYS FOUND WAYS TO LAUGH THROUGH THE PAIN

- LOUISE A. BARILE

Looking younger than her 89 years, Carol Burnett joined in the celebration as Julie Andrews was recently honored with AFI's Lifetime Achievement Award. The pair met in 1960 and immediately became close friends. "It was if we'd always known each other," says Carol.

That's not surprising because Carol has always felt like an old friend to her fans.

This down-to-earth comic has seen success in theater, film, and as an author, but her groundbreaking TV series, The Carol Burnett Show, made her part of the family. "We have all known someone like Carol in our lives," Kenny Solms, co-creator of Carol's variety series and author of the memoir Bits, tells Closer. "She's your best friend from high school or your neighbor who's a doll. She's as American as apple pie." Her life story is also a very American rags to-riches one - although overcoming poverty and becoming a TV star didn't shield Carol from additional heartache. She's weathered two divorces, addiction issues with two of her three daughters, and the cancer death of her eldest. In 2020, the performer went to court to obtain temporary guardianship of her teenage grandson Dylan, whose mother, Carol's youngest, Erin Hamilton, continues to suffer from addiction. "Carol is one of the strongest people I've ever met," says a close friend. "She has a lot of faith and believes her love of laughter has helped her deal with life's tragedies."

A TOUGH BEGINNING