Carol Burnett Signs Deal to Write About Late Daughter's Struggles

The last nine months have been busy ones for TV and movie comedian, Carol Burnett. Today she is in the news with the announcement from Simon and Schuster that she is writing a book about her late daughter, Carrie Hamilton.

Hamilton made news during her short lifetime for having a nasty drug habit that she successfully overcame and then for battling cancer, a struggle she lost in 2002 at the age of 38. Her mother was known for being supportive and at her side at during all of Hamilton's good and bad times. As an actress, Hamilton did a lot of episodic TV, but is best known for her role as Reggie Higgins on two seasons of Fame. She was the oldest of the three children born to Burnett and producer, Joe Hamilton.

Burnett's book, to be published in April 2013, will detail Hamilton's problems with drugs and the cancer that killed her. Pieces of the diary Burnett kept at the time will be included, as well as one of Hamilton's stories that she wrote called Sunrise in Memphis.

Earlier this year, the talented Burnett was honored with one of the Lifetime Achievement Awards at the International Cinematographers Guild's 49th annual Publicists Awards Luncheon. This award celebrates recipients who essentially do a good job of promoting their works. Past honorees include Warren Beatty, Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone, George Burns, Lew Wasserman, Julie Andrews, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Clint Eastwood, and Robert Zemeckis.

The ICG's chairman of its Award Committee, Henri Bollinger, stated at the time of the announcement, “Carol Burnett has had an extraordinary career and a reputation for direct involvement in the promotion of the shows and movies in which she has starred. She has a clear understanding of the role publicity plays in the success of TV shows and movies.”

Last fall, Burnett also made news when she made a final guest appearance on All My Children before the soap opera left the air. She played Verla Grubbs for the first time in 1983 and reprised it a couple of times over the decades. Burnett's love for the show went back to its beginnings, and she often discussed it during her monologues on The Carol Burnett Show, even though the show aired on a rival network.