American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey shared in a statement that her mother, Patricia, and sister, Alison, both passed away over the weekend.
“My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother this past weekend,” Carey said on Monday. “Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day.”
The Grammy-winning singer expressed gratitude for having spent time with her mother in the week before her death and requested privacy. No additional information was provided about the causes of death.
Patricia, who was 87, had a background as an opera singer and vocal coach and was of Irish-American descent.
In Mariah Carey’s 2020 memoir, *The Meaning of Mariah Carey,* she opened up about the complex relationship she had with her mother, describing the pain and confusion it brought her.
Carey, now 55, mentioned that their relationship was marked by competition. She noted that professional jealousy is common with success, but it’s particularly painful when it comes from one’s mother, especially at a young age.
Despite this, she expressed the deep love she had for her mother in the dedication of her memoir, saying, “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.”
During a 2022 interview with Gayle King, Mariah Carey admitted that her mother’s criticism had definitely impacted her during her upbringing. She also credited her mother with introducing her to music.
Carey’s relationship with her older sister Alison, who was 63, was also difficult.
In her memoir, Mariah described being estranged from both Alison and her brother Morgan, saying that avoiding contact was emotionally and physically safer for her.
After the memoir’s release, Alison sued Mariah for $1.2 million, claiming “immense emotional distress” and calling the book “vindictive.”
Carey’s father, Alfred, passed away in 2002 from cancer at the age of 72.
Mariah Carey is widely regarded as one of the most successful singers in the world.
Her iconic holiday song, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” is the best-selling Christmas single by a female artist in history.
She holds the record for the most Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles by a solo artist, with 19 hits. Carey has sold over 220 million records globally and served as a judge on the TV competition show *American Idol*.
