Mariah Carey: ‘My heart is broken’ over death of mother and sister on same day
Patricia and Alison Carey both passed away over the weekend, with the causes of death yet to be revealed
By Dale Fox
Mariah Carey has announced the deaths of her mother and sister, who both passed away on the same day over the weekend.
“My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother [Patricia] this past weekend,” the Grammy-winning singer said in a statement released on Monday (26 August) to People, adding, “Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister [Alison] lost her life on the same day.”
“I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed,” Mariah further said.
The singer has requested privacy as she grieves, saying: “I appreciate everyone’s love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time.”
No details were provided about the causes of death for either Patricia, 87, or Alison, 63.
Patricia Carey was a former opera singer and vocal coach of Irish-American descent. In her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, the singer detailed their complex relationship. Mariah wrote in the dedication: “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.”
“A complicated love tethers my heart to my mother’s” – Mariah Carey
Within the book, Mariah said of her mother: “Our relationship is a prickly rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration and disappointment,” adding,. “A complicated love tethers my heart to my mother’s.”
In a 2022 interview with Gayle King, Carey said she had “definitely” been affected by criticism from her mother when growing up. However, she also credited her mother with exposing her to music.
Alison Carey had reportedly been receiving hospice care before her death, BBC News reported. The relationship between the Carey sisters was known to be complicated. In her memoir, Mariah wrote of being estranged from Alison, stating it was “emotionally and physically safer for me to not have any contact”.
Following the memoir’s release, Alison sued Mariah for $1.2 million (£909,780), claiming “immense emotional distress”. She claimed the singer used “her status as a public figure to attack her penniless sister, generating sensational headlines describing her lurid claims to promote sales of her book.”.
Mariah Carey’s father, Alfred, died in 2002 of cancer at the age of 72.
Photo Credit: “Mariah Carey performing at the Royal Albert Hall, 27 May 2019.” Photographer: Raph_PH. Image Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0).