Mariah Carey announces that both her mother and sister passed away on the same day
The pop superstar had previously detailed her complicated relationship with both women in her 2020 memoir, *The Meaning of Mariah Carey.*
Mariah Carey has revealed that both her mother and sister passed away on the same day in what she described as a “tragic turn of events.” The Grammy Award-winning singer shared her heartbreak in a statement to People magazine, expressing that her “heart is broken” following the deaths of her mother, Patricia, and her sister, Alison.
While the causes of their deaths are not yet known, Carey, 55, said in her statement: “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.”
“I feel blessed to have spent the last week with my mom before she passed,” Carey said. “I appreciate everyone’s love, support, and respect for my privacy during this incredibly difficult time.”
Patricia, a former opera singer and vocal coach, was 87 years old, while Alison was 63, according to a Mariah Carey fan website.
In her 2020 memoir, “The Meaning Of Mariah Carey,” the singer opened up about her complex relationship with her mother. She wrote, “Like many aspects of my life, my journey with my mother has been full of contradictions and competing realities. It’s never been only black-and-white—it’s been a whole rainbow of emotions.”
Carey also described their relationship as “a prickly rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration, and disappointment,” adding, “A complicated love tethers my heart to my mother’s.”
Carey maintained a relationship with her mother, even recording a festive duet of “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “Hallelujah Chorus” together in 2010. In her memoir, she partially dedicated the book to her mother, writing, “And to Pat, my mother, who, through it all, I do believe actually did the best she could. I will love you the best I can, always.”
However, Carey’s relationship with her sister Alison was more contentious. In February 2021, Alison sued Carey over claims made in the memoir, where the singer alleged that when she was 12, Alison, then 20, had put her at risk of being pimped out. Alison’s lawsuit argued that these accusations were unsubstantiated.
Carey also has an older brother, Morgan, while her father, Alfred, passed away from cancer in 2002.
