Both Mariah Carey’s mother, Patricia Carey, and the singer’s sister, Alison Carey, died over the weekend.
“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,” the singer said in a statement shared with the Daily News.
“I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed,” the 55-year-old continued. “I appreciate everyone’s love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time.”
The causes of death for both women were not released. Patricia was 87; Alison was 63.
Carey described her relationship with her mother — a Juilliard-trained opera singer and vocal coach — as a mix “of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration, and disappointment” in her memoir, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey.”
“It’s never been only black-and-white — it’s been a whole rainbow of emotions,” she wrote.
The book was also dedicated to the singer’s mother.
“And to Pat, my mother, who, through it all, I do believe actually did the best she could,” Carey wrote. “I will love you the best I can, always.”
The Grammy winner was also estranged from Alison, who, along with older brother Morgan, sued her for defamation over abuse and drugging claims in the 2020 book. Her brother’s suit was ultimately thrown out, according to Reuters.
“I had to stop making myself available to be hurt by [my family]. It has been helpful. I have no doubt it is emotionally and physically safer for me not to have any contact with my [siblings],” she wrote.
Friend and advocate David Baker told the Hudson Valley Times Union Alison Carey died at her home in Coxsackie. He said she had been in hospice care and did not provide additional details.
Carey’s father, Alfred Roy Carey, died in 2002. Her parents divorced when Carey was three years old.
