Mariah Carey recently announced the heartbreaking news that both her mother, Patricia Carey, and her sister, Alison Carey, passed away on the same day. In a statement, Carey expressed her deep sorrow over the loss of her mother, who had been living in an assisted care facility in Florida, and her sister, who died in New York State.
While Carey did not reveal the causes of death, reports indicate that her mother was 87 years old, and her sister, 63, had been struggling with organ failure and substance abuse issues. Carey requested privacy during this difficult time, expressing gratitude for the love and support she has received.
In her words:
“My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother this past weekend,” Carey said in a statement issued on Monday. “Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day.
“I appreciate everyone’s love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time,”
Carey’s relationship with her family has been complex, marked by emotional challenges despite her immense success as a pop superstar. She has spoken about the instability of her early life, describing her upbringing as deeply dysfunctional, which she believes contributed to her high tolerance for dysfunction.
Carey maintained a relationship with her mother, with whom she shared musical moments, including a Christmas medley in 2010. However, her relationship with Alison was strained, with the sisters reportedly becoming estranged after Alison sued Mariah over allegations made in her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey. In the memoir, Carey depicted her mother as neglectful and her sister as having placed her in dangerous situations during her youth.
Despite these difficulties, Carey also acknowledged her mother’s role in nurturing her musical talents. Patricia, a former opera singer trained at Juilliard, encouraged Mariah to sing and explore her abilities from a young age. However, Carey’s memoir also recounts how her mother’s neglect, particularly regarding Mariah’s biracial identity, fed into her childhood insecurities.
Patricia moved to a senior living home in Florida in 2020, a year before Carey sold the house in Westchester County, N.Y., that she had purchased for her mother decades earlier. The deaths of both her mother and sister represent a profound personal loss for Carey, highlighting the complexities of her familial relationships.
