Bruno Mars almost ditched ‘Die With a Smile’: Shocking backstory revealed

Bruno Mars almost walked away from creating Die With a Smile, the chart-topping duet with Lady Gaga that would later earn them a Grammy. 

But according to longtime collaborator James Fauntleroy one moment completely shifted the singer’s mindset.

Fauntleroy revealed that Mars initially had no plans to move forward with the demo while at Variety. 

But everything changed when he learned about Gaga’s involvement in Joker: Folie à Deux which instantly sparked the idea of partnering with her.

“He was such a genius for pulling that out of the back of his subconscious memory because of the timing of that movie, which is also how Lady Gaga came into his mind as a collaborator,” Fauntleroy shared.

“Then when we found out that wasn’t gonna be a thing, he had already kind of started the ball rolling because the power of Bruno compels you,” he continued. 

But the real turning point came when Mars heard Gaga play the song herself.

"Gaga literally sat down like a musician, learned the chords and the whole song right in that moment. And they were performing, singing it together. And that’s when I should have known it was going to be something special,” the collaborator stated.

What began as a maybe quickly became a masterpiece. Die With a Smile not only dominated global charts but went on to win the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.