Mary J. Blige Opens Up About Painful Past in New Doc: ‘I Didn’t Want to Live’

Mary J. Blige is opening up about her difficult past in the new Amazon Prime documentary “Mary J. Blige: My Life.”

A trailer for the doc reveals Blige battled depression as her career reached new heights in 1994 with the album “My Life.”

The 50-year-old explains in the trailer, “‘My Life’ is probably my darkest album at one of the darkest times I’ve had. Most of the time I was just depressed and didn’t want to live. I had it all inside and I was able to sing it and write it, and I didn’t know that so many people felt the same way.”

She also touches on her rough childhood in the Bronx, saying, “The only thing, I think, that kept us guided was the music. It just saved you. In the neighborhood we lived in, it’s like prison. There was a lot wrong, and it was a lot. I needed to get out. That’s why I had that pen.”

Blige launched her career in 1991 when she signed with Uptown Records, and from there she released 13 albums and earned nine Grammys. She is also known for her acting roles, and nabbed two Oscar nominations for “Mudbound.”