Mariah Carey Mourns the Loss of Her Mother and Sister on the Same Day
American singer Mariah Carey has announced the heartbreaking news that both her mother and sister passed away on the same day, expressing deep sorrow while cherishing the last week spent with her mother.
In an interview with People on August 26, Mariah Carey, often dubbed the “Queen of Christmas,” shared that her two loved ones passed away over the previous weekend. “My heart shattered when I learned of my mother’s passing. It’s even more tragic that my sister followed on the same day. I deeply appreciate the love, support, and respect for my privacy during this painful time,” the singer said. Carey has not disclosed further details, including the cause of death of her mother, Patricia, aged 87, and her sister Alison Carey, aged 63.
Following the news reported by People, fans across various platforms extended their condolences to the singer. One X user wrote, “I cannot imagine the pain she must be enduring right now. May God comfort your heart and family. We are always here and will never leave Mariah’s side.”
Mariah Carey inherited her vocal talent from her mother, an opera singer trained at a music school in New York. Patricia gave up her career after marrying Carey’s father, engineer Alfred Roy Carey. The couple divorced when Mariah was three years old. Besides Alison, Mariah has an older brother by nine years.
According to People, Carey’s relationship with her mother was complicated. In her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, the singer revealed that she and her mother often had conflicts. However, Carey emphasized that their story wasn’t just black and white but filled with deep emotions.
“The relationship between my mother and me is a complex bond of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, envy, admiration, and disappointment. It’s a complicated love that ties our hearts together,” she wrote.
Despite the ups and downs, Carey remained in contact with her mother. In 2010, they appeared together in the ABC special Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to You, performing a duet of “O Come All Ye Faithful/Hallelujah Chorus.” Carey also dedicated a portion of her memoir to her mother, writing, “To Pat, my mother, I truly believe you did the best you could. I will always love you.”
Carey’s relationship with her sister Alison was also strained. According to Daily Mail, Carey had been estranged from her sister for 30 years due to irreconcilable differences. Alison, who struggled with addiction and HIV, was nearly homeless for much of her life.
In her memoir, Mariah Carey revealed that Alison often put her in dangerous situations as a child. At least at the time of writing, Carey felt “emotionally and physically safe” by not being in contact with Alison. In 2021, Alison filed a lawsuit against Mariah, accusing her of defamation in the memoir and exploiting her fame to “attack her poor sister.” Alison sought $1.25 million in damages. International sources report that the case remains unresolved.
Mariah Carey, born in 1969, is a five-time Grammy Award winner and has sold over 200 million records. She is renowned for her five-octave vocal range and her distinctive, sexy style. The Guinness World Records has recognized her as the “Songbird Supreme” for having one of the highest vocal ranges in the world. She has been married twice, to Nick Cannon and Tommy Mottola.
