MUMBAI: Mariah Carey announced on Monday the heartbreaking news that both her mother, Patricia, and sister, Alison, passed away on the same day. "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 Grammy-winning singer shared in a statement.
Carey expressed her gratitude for the time she spent with her mother in the week before her passing. "I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed," she said. "I appreciate everyone's love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time."
Details regarding the causes of their deaths were not immediately disclosed. People Magazine was the first to report on the deaths and Carey's statement. Patricia Carey, an opera singer, was previously married to Alfred Roy Carey, Mariah's father. The couple divorced when the singer was just 3 years old.
Mariah Carey shared in her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, that her relationships with her mother and sister were often strained. She detailed how she and her mother frequently clashed and accused her sister of exposing her to unsafe situations during her childhood.
Despite their challenges, Carey remained in contact with her mother and even collaborated on a duet of "O Come All Ye Faithful/Hallelujah Chorus" for her second Christmas album in 2010.