Mariah Carey: 'George Michael's death took a toll on me'

30 November 2018, 17:10 | Updated: 30 November 2018, 17:13

Mariah Carey has opened up about her friendship with the late singer.

Speaking to Pitchfork, the American singer revealed that George Michael's sudden passing on Christmas Day in 2016 "took a toll" on her at the time.

When asked how she has managed to survive when other stars like George and Whitney Houston haven't, she said: "It’s really about a great support system and working with people who understand and try to create a good environment.

"Hopefully, those people will also understand stress is really a killer. When we have lost some of our greatest, it’s really taken a toll on me, as someone who grew up watching them and being inspired by them.

Mariah Carey sings "One more try" in honor of George Michael (Dubai) 2017

"You mentioned George Michael. I remember before my first album, even in high school, the Faith album, I looked at that and said, 'I want to make an album that crosses all these genres.'"

She continued: "We had a lot of things in common in terms of record company political stuff. I remember this one dinner that we had.

"We were both talking about really difficult stuff that we’d been through. And when he passed away on that Christmas, I couldn’t believe it because I thought he would be able to be OK."

Mariah previously performed a cover of 'One More Try', to which George revealed he was a big fan:

Meanwhile, a tribute concert for George is being organised by his former backing band.