Mariah Carey recently shared her heartbreak with the world, revealing the passing of her mother and sister. In an exclusive report on Monday (August 26), the singer confirmed that her mom, Patricia, and sister, Alison, died on the same day this past weekend.
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Here’s What Mariah Carey Said About Her Family Deaths
PEOPLE first broke the story, including a statement from the 55-year-old on the incidents.
“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 stated.
Despite her public statement, which was also shared with TMZ, Mariah Carey remained tight-lipped on what exactly happened to her mother and sister. Additionally, it’s unclear if the deaths are linked to an accident or a coincidental tragedy. Nonetheless, the singer expressed gratitude for getting to spend some moments with Patricia, in particular.
“I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed,” Mariah Carey shared. “I appreciate everyone’s love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time.”
As of Tuesday (August 27), Mariah has not shared any tributes or additional statements about the deaths via her social media accounts.
Everybody please pray for Mariah Carey who lost her mother and sister on the same day pic.twitter.com/uoQUrp45so
— DeMarko (@freakymarko) August 26, 2024
Singer Had A Complex Public Relationship With Her Mom & Sister
The double passing comes after years of Mariah Carey’s rocky public ties to her mother and sister.
For context, the ‘Hero’ singer was born to Patricia and Alfred Roy Carey on March 27, 1969, after her sister Alison and their brother Morgan. By the time Mariah was three, her parents divorced. Though her daddy-daughter relationship became strained as her fame grew, they reportedly rekindled before his death from cancer in July 2002.
Meanwhile, in her 2020 memoir, ‘The Meaning of Mariah Carey,’ the singer laid out her tricky relationship with Patricia. She claimed their journey was “full of contradictions and competing realities.” Note that Carey’s singing abilities were a genetic gift from her mom, who was also an opera singer and vocal coach.
Furthermore, she described their relationship as a catalyst for “a whole rainbow of emotions.”
“Our relationship is a prickly rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration, and disappointment,” Mariah’s memoir revealed. “A complicated love tethers my heart to my mother’s.”
Ultimately, Mariah — at the time of her memoir — felt that her story with her mother was one of “betrayal and beauty…love and abandonment… sacrifice and survival.”
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Also, in her memoir, Mariah Carey reportedly recalled how therapy helped her “rename and reframe” her relationship with her mother, sister, and brother. She said her mother became Pat, while her siblings became her ex-sister and ex-brother.
“I had to stop expecting them to one day miraculously become the mommy, big brother, and big sister I fantasized about,” the singer’s memoir revealed.
Additionally, in recent years, it appeared that Mariah and Alison’s relationship continued to be on the rocks. In 2021, her late sister sued her for at least $1.25 million. She cited emotional distress following the memoir, per an exclusive report by TMZ.
Alison argued that Mariah didn’t provide any evidence to back up her abuse allegations. For context, the singer accused her sister of giving her “Valium,” trying to “pimp her out,” and throwing a “cup of boiling tea” on her that caused third-degree burns.
According to In Touch Weekly, Alison’s lawsuit against Mariah was unresolved at the time of her death. It has yet to be dismissed. The year before the book, Alison also brought a lawsuit against Patricia for alleged sexual abuse as a child.
