For generations of Americans, Carol Burnett meant laughter.

One tug of the ear. One unforgettable expression. One outrageous sketch.

And suddenly millions of people sitting in their living rooms were laughing along with her.

But behind one of television’s most famous smiles was a chapter of Carol’s life that was anything but funny.

It involved her daughter, Carrie Hamilton.

Carrie was Carol’s oldest daughter with television producer Joe Hamilton, and their relationship went through extraordinarily difficult years.

As a teenager, Carrie struggled with drug addiction.

For Carol, watching her daughter go through it was terrifying.

She later spoke candidly about having to make difficult decisions as a mother, including refusing to enable Carrie’s addiction even when doing so threatened their relationship.

Eventually, Carrie got sober.

And something beautiful happened.

Mother and daughter found their way back to each other.

Carrie became an actress, singer and writer, and she and Carol eventually became creative collaborators as well as mother and daughter.

Then came news no parent wants to hear.

Carrie was diagnosed with cancer.

She died in January 2002.

She was only 38 years old.

For Carol, the loss was unimaginable.

Years later, she continued speaking about Carrie with extraordinary affection.

One of the memories Carol has shared is particularly powerful.

During Carrie’s illness, Carol asked her how she managed to remain so cheerful.

Carrie’s answer stayed with her: every day she woke up and decided that she was going to love her life.

Carol never forgot those words.

And she never forgot Carrie.

Even after decades of television appearances, awards and audiences telling Carol how much happiness she brought into their homes, there was always another story behind that famous smile.

A mother’s story.

A story of fear, difficult choices, reconciliation and ultimately heartbreaking loss.

Carol Burnett spent generations making America laugh.

But perhaps one of the most revealing things about her isn’t how easily she could make an audience smile.

It’s how she found the strength to keep smiling herself.