Mariah Carey is in grief over the loss of her mother, Patricia Carey, and sister, Alison, both of whom passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, August 24th. Although the singer-who rose to fame in 1994 with her holiday smash, "All I Want For Christmas Is You"-had a complicated relationship with her mom and sister, she still very much loved them. After all, Mariah's singing talents blossomed in Patricia, who was an opera singer and an alumnus of Juilliard.
After Mariah turned three years old, Patricia divorced her husband, Alfred Roy Carey. She primarily raised Mariah, as well as her two older siblings, Alison and Morgan, as a single parent. Mariah's relationship with her father, who passed away from cancer in 2002, was tattered due to her musical career but made amends before his passing.
Mariah Carey addresses losing her mother and sister
People was the first to report the news, and according to a release from Mariah, she described that her 'heart is broken' over the devasting losses.
"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. I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed [and] I appreciate everyone’s love[,] support[,] and respect for my privacy during this impossible time."
It's unclear what Patricia and Alison passed away from at this time. What we do know is that Mariah got to spend some one-on-one time with her mother days before her death.
Patricia made a cameo with her daughter in 2010 during the ABC special, Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas To You, when they duetted the combined carols of "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "Hallelujah Chorus."
As magical and spiritually uplifting as the duet was, Mariariah reflected on the troubling relationship between her and Patricia in her 2020 published memoir, The Meaning of Mariah (Andy Cohen Books).
"Like many aspects of my life, my journey with my mother has been full of contradictions and competing realities," Mariah writes. "It's never been only black-and-white — it's been a whole rainbow of emotions."
Mariah is scheduled to do her 20-city "Mariah Carey's Christmas Time," kicking off on November 6th in Highland, CA. It'll be a dual celebration of spending the most wonderful time of the year with her fans and the 30th anniversary of Mariah's top-selling holiday album, "Merry Christmas."
Last year, Kim and Khloé Kardashian attended one of Mariah's concerts in LA.