Mariah Carey tweets tribute to No. 1 fan, a Mississippi journalist who died unexpectedly

When a Mississippi-raised journalist left his job at the state newspaper in Jackson, his colleagues came together to wish him farewell in the most Dustin Barnes way — with a cake themed after his icon, pop star Mariah Carey.

“Saying Dustin loved Mariah is like saying the ocean is big,” said Sam Hall, who was the executive editor at the Clarion Ledger in 2018 when Barnes worked there as the digital director. “He loved her with such an indescribable devotion. He was a super fan.”

Barnes, who went on to work at the Tennessean in Nashville before most recently becoming a trending editor for USA Today, became a fan in high school when he was going through a rough time, said longtime friend and former colleague Therese Apel.

“He heard the song ‘Hero’ and it made him feel seen,” Apel, a Mississippi journalist, told the Sun Herald.

Barnes, 38, was known for blasting Mariah Carey Christmas songs at work, and telling anyone and everyone about her music. There’s no doubt to those who knew him that he was a No. 1 fan.

But Carey would never have the chance to meet him.

Barnes died unexpectedly in his Tennessee home on Wednesday. He was recovering from a heart attack, according to his Facebook page.

“It’s like someone turned off the sun,” Apel said Monday. She’s been sharing her memories with Barnes on Facebook.

And she isn’t the only one.

Dozens of tributes to the journalist have been posted to Facebook and Twitter, with his friends and colleagues remembering him as a person who, above all us, brought joy and love to everyone’s life.

And Mariah Carey herself joined in.

“After reading through the beautiful memories and anecdotes so many have shared about you, I wish I could have had my own conversations with you and experienced your effervescence for myself,” she tweeted on Sunday. “Dustin, thank you for your love. I know you feel mine where you are.”

The tribute had Apel in tears all over again, she said.

His devotion did not stop at Mariah Carey, Hall — now executive editor at the Daily Journal in Tupelo — said Monday.

“Devotion was one of his best character traits — to his family, his friends, his colleagues, his work. If you were close in any way to Dustin, he was devoted to you. Not like he was to Mariah, mind you, but still unbelievably loyal and devoted.”