Mariah Carey is mourning the loss of her mother, Patricia Carey.
Before she confirmed to PEOPLE that her sister Alison Carey and her mother died on the same day over the weekend, the singer, 55, was known to have a strained relationship with her family members.
Here’s what she had to say about her relationship with her late mom.
They were together before Patricia died
“I am heartbroken that I lost my mother last weekend. Unfortunately, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day,” the Grammy-winning singer said in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE on Monday, August 26.
“I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she died,” Mariah added. “I appreciate everyone’s love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time.”
No other details are known at this time, including the causes of death for Patricia and Alison.
Mariah Carey and her mom.
Mariah Carey/Instagram
There was “pain and confusion” early on.
Mariah was born to Alfredo, an Afro-Venezuelan aeronautical engineer, and Patricia, a white opera singer, in Huntington, New York, on March 27, 1969.
Her parents’ interracial relationship was a source of conflict with her mother’s side of the family.
In his memoirs from 2020. Meaning of Mariah Careyshe recalled her childhood with Patricia, writing that their relationship “caused me so much pain and confusion”.
“For my sanity and peace of mind, my therapist encouraged me to literally rename and reshape my family,” Mariah continued. “My mother became my Pat, Morgan my ex-brother, and Alison my ex-sister… I had to stop expecting them to one day miraculously become the mom, big brother, and big sister I dreamed of.”
Mariah Carey on ‘betrayal and beauty’ of relationship with mom: It’s a ‘complicated journey’
There was “treason and beauty” in their mother-daughter relationship.
Additionally, the “We Belong Together” singer wrote in her memoir that their story is one of “betrayal and beauty.” Love and abandonment. Victims and survival.”
“I have broken free from slavery several times, but there is a cloud of sadness that I suspect will always hang over me, not only because of my mother, but because of our complicated journey together.”
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Mariah Carey and her mom Patricia.
Mariah Carey/Facebook
Patricia “did the best she could”
Mariah dedicated part of her memoirs to Patricia.
“And to Pat, my mother, who, I believe, gave it her best through it all,” she wrote. “I will love you the best I can, always.”
When it comes to her siblings, sister Alison and brother Morgan, the “Butterfly” singer revealed that it’s “emotionally and physically safer for me not to have any contact” with them.
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Patricia was also a talented singer
Mariah wasn’t the only talent in the Carey family. Patricia was an opera singer and vocal coach trained at Juilliard.
“You just have to hope that one day you’ll be half the singer that I am,” Patricia once told teenage Mariah.
“However, to this day, what she said haunts and hurts me,” the singer recalled in her memoirs.
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Source: HIS Education