Remilekun Awokoya
Mariah Carey’s mother Patricia and sister Alison died on the same day over the weekend, the US singer has said in a statement.
In a statement released on Monday, the Grammy-winning singer expressed her grief: “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.”
Carey, who had spent time with her mother in the week before her death, requested privacy during this difficult time. Details regarding the causes of death have not been disclosed.
Patricia, 87, was a former opera singer and vocal coach of Irish-American descent. In her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, the singer discussed her complicated relationship with her mother, acknowledging the pain and confusion it had caused her.
Carey noted that professional jealousy had strained their relationship, particularly because it came from someone so close.
Despite these challenges, Carey expressed deep love for her mother in the memoir’s dedication, writing: “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.”
Carey’s relationship with her older sister Alison, 63, was also fraught with difficulties.
In her memoir, Carey revealed that she had become estranged from both Alison and their brother Morgan, explaining that it was “emotionally and physically safer for me to not have any contact.” Alison later sued Carey for $1.2 million, alleging that the memoir caused her “immense emotional distress.”
The singer’s father, Alfred, passed away in 2002 at the age of 72 after battling cancer.
Mariah Carey remains one of the most successful and celebrated singers in the world.