Friday 3 August 2001

Heart-breakdown hotel

Mariah Carey was padding around a posh suite at the TriBeCa Grand hotel in bare feet and a bathrobe when she had her nervous breakdown - throwing a tantrum so violent it frightened pals and startled bodyguards, The Post has learned.

The singer was hospitalized after last week's outburst and is now believed to be undergoing treatment at Silver Hill Hospital, an exclusive Connecticut facility specializing in mental illness and addiction. Carey's spokeswoman continued to deny reports that she tried to commit suicide during the episode, but new details about the violent outburst reveal Carey was completely out of control.

A frequent guest at the hip, downtown hostelry, Carey was ensconced last week in a top-floor suite, which includes a bedroom, kitchenette, guest room and roof deck, spokeswoman Cindi Berger said. A TriBeCa Grand bartender at the hotel said Carey kept a low profile during her stay, coming in and out without an entourage, "looking like anyone else".

But all that changed Wednesday night when Carey - "obviously upset about something", according to Berger - began breaking scores of dishes and glasses in the kitchenette. During the hysterics, Carey gashed open her foot, but "that was the only place she was hurt", Berger insisted.

Still, a stylist and a friend keeping Carey company in the suite were frightened by the out-of-control diva. Bodyguards, stationed outside and in rooms down the hall, "heard a commotion and went in. Mariah then said she wanted to go to her mom's house, so they took her," Berger said.

At the Westchester County home, Patricia Carey became "very upset" about her daughter's condition and dialed 911 because "she needed help controlling Mariah", Berger said. "At no time did she tell police that Mariah was going to kill herself," added Berger, who has described Carey's troubles as "an emotional and physical breakdown".

Police soon arrived at the house and took Mariah away in a squad car to Northern Westchester Hospital. She's since been transferred to another facility, apparently Silver Hill in New Caanan, where several family members visited yesterday. Previous high-profile patients at the hospital include actor Eric Douglas.

As The Post first reported, the pop star has been distraught over the disappointing release of her album "Loverboy", rifts with the Virgin record label and the deterioration of her romance with Latin crooner Luis Miguel. She's also working on two movies and a new record, provoking what Berger described as "extreme exhaustion".

Signs of stress began appearing long before last week, however. A few months ago, Carey hired San Francisco private eye Jack Palladino to "check into all the bad press stories" about her, Berger confirmed yesterday. Palladino and an unidentified lawyer have since badgered several public-relations people, trying to get them to admit they spread negative stories about the warbler - and blaming her ex-husband, music exec Tommy Mottola, for the leaks.

(Page Six)



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