Mariah Carey’s mom Patricia and sister Alison died on the same day over the weekend, PEOPLE can confirm.
“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, 55, said in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE.
“I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed away,” adds Mariah. “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.
Patricia, who was previously married to Alfred Roy Carey, was an opera singer and vocal coach at Juilliard before the couple welcomed Alison, Mariah and son Morgan. The parents later divorced when the “Heroja” singer was 3 years old.
Mariah’s relationship with her mother—from whom she inherited her vocal talent—was complicated throughout her life.
All about Mariah Carey’s parents, Alfred Roy Carey and Patricia Carey
“Like many aspects of my life, my journey with my mother was full of contradictions and competing realities. It was never just black and white — it was a whole rainbow of emotions,” she wrote in her 2020 memoir. Meaning of Mariah Carey.
“Our relationship is a barbed wire of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration and disappointment,” Mariah continued in the book. “Complicated love binds my heart to my mother’s.”
Daughter of Monroe Cannon, Mariah Carey and her mother Patricia Carey. MARIAH CAREY/INSTAGRAM
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Despite their ups and downs, Mariah has maintained a relationship with her mother. In 2010, they reunited for ABC’s Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas special and performed a solemn mother-daughter duet “O Come All Ye Faithful/Hallelujah Chorus.”
Mariah partially dedicated 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.”
Mariah’s relationship with Alison was also quite complex. The star wrote in the memoir that, at least at the time, it was “emotionally and physically safer to have no contact” with her or Morgan.
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Source: HIS Education