The Grammy-winning singer expressed her profound grief on Monday stating, “My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother this past weekend. Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day.”
American singer, Mariah Carey, has announced that her mother, Patricia, and her sister, Alison, both passed away on the same day.
The Grammy-winning singer expressed her profound grief on Monday stating, “My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother this past weekend. Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day.”
Carey also expressed her gratitude for the support she has received, adding, “I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed. I appreciate everyone’s love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time.”
The Guardian reports that the causes of death for Patricia and Alfred Roy Carey were not immediately disclosed. People Magazine was the first to announce their deaths and to release Carey’s statement.
Patricia was an opera singer and was previously married to Alfred Roy Carey, Mariah Carey’s father. The couple divorced when Mariah was three years old.
In her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, the singer described a strained relationship with her mother and sister. She revealed frequent clashes with her mother and accused her sister of endangering her during childhood.
Carey described her relationship with her mother as a “prickly rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration and disappointment,” noting a complex love that binds her to her mother.
Regarding her sister, Carey wrote that it was once “emotionally and physically safer for me not to have any contact” with her.
Despite their difficulties, Carey stayed in touch with her mother and they recorded a duet of “O Come All Ye Faithful/Hallelujah Chorus” for Carey’s second Christmas album in 2010.