Mariah Carey has shared her thoughts about her mother’s final moments, revealing that she lost her on the same day her sister passed away.
On Monday, August 26, the 55-year-old pop icon announced in a statement that both her mother and sister had died over the weekend. The causes of their deaths have not been disclosed.
Speaking to PEOPLE, Mariah expressed her sorrow, saying: “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.”
Mariah’s mother, Patricia, was an accomplished opera singer and vocal coach. She had three children—Alison, Mariah, and Morgan—with engineer Alfred Roy Carey. The couple divorced when Mariah was just three years old.
Patricia passed away at the age of 87, while Mariah’s sister Alison was 63 when she died.
In her statement, Mariah provided some details about her mother’s final days, mentioning that she was by her side.
“I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed,” she stated. “I appreciate everyone’s love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time.”
Mariah has spoken previously about her complex relationships with both her mother and her sister.
In her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, she discussed how her relationship with her mother had caused her ‘pain and confusion’ over the years.
She mentioned professional jealousy between them, writing: “When the person is your mother and the jealousy is revealed at such a tender age, it’s particularly painful.”
However, Mariah also noted in the memoir that she believed her mother did ‘the best she could’.
Regarding her sister, Mariah stated that she had become estranged from both her and her brother, feeling it was ’emotionally and physically safer’ to cut ties.
Dave Baker, a close friend of Alison’s, shared that she had been receiving home hospice care for the last three weeks of her life due to issues with her internal organs.
Speaking to The US Sun, Dave described Alison as having a ‘tough exterior’ but being a ‘highly intelligent, warm, and sensitive person’ underneath.
“I have known her for nine years and as her friend and in recent months her carer I will miss her greatly,” he said.
“Farewell Alison. May you now find peace, your tortured soul forever free from earthly pain.”
For those who have experienced a bereavement and need someone to talk to in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends at (877) 969-0010.