Mariah Carey lost her mother, Patricia Hickey, and her estranged sister, Alison Carey, over the weekend on the same day. The five-octave vocalist did not share further details about the causes of death of her mom and sibling, but she did express the extent of her mourning feelings.
“My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother this past weekend,” Mariah told ABC News on Monday (August 26). “Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day.”
The Grammy Awards winner continued: “I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed.
“I appreciate everyone’s love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time.”
Mariah Carey lost her mother, Patricia Hickey, and her estranged sister, Alison Carey, over the weekend on the same day
Alison, who was largely estranged from Mariah, died at 63 from complications with her organ function while in hospice care, The Times Union reported on Monday.
The 55-year-old singer’s family dynamic has been complex and often strained, particularly with her parents and siblings.
Mariah was born on March 27, 1969, in Huntington, New York, USA, to Alfred Roy Carey, an aeronautical engineer of African-American and Venezuelan descent, and Patricia, an Irish-American opera singer and vocal coach.
The songstress has spoken about the difficulties she faced growing up in a biracial family in a predominantly white community.
Her parents’ divorce further strained the family, with Mariah having a closer relationship with her mom than with her father. Mariah has often referred to her childhood as being marked by instability and emotional neglect.
“Like many aspects of my life, my journey with my mother has been full of contradictions and competing realities,” the singer wrote in her 2020 memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey. “It’s never been only black-and-white — it’s been a whole rainbow of emotions.
“Our relationship is a prickly rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration, and disappointment. A complicated love tethers my heart to my mother’s.”
Despite these challenges, Mariah maintained a relationship with her father until his death in 2002. In interviews, the Queen of Christmas has mentioned reconciling with him before he passed away from cancer.
Mariah’s mom, Patricia, was an Irish-American opera singer and vocal coach
“The death of my father – that was a very hard time for me,” Mariah told the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag at the time of Alfred’s death. “I went straight to the mourning service.”
She further revealed: “That was several weeks ago now. I think of him. We were not very close for a while, but then that changed.
“We became very close the last few years. That he died, was a shock for me. He had cancer.
“He was not operable anymore. He died on July the 4th, on the American Independence Day.
“He wanted liberty and he died on Independence Day. We were able to become friends a short time before he died, I’m very lucky and I am grateful that I had this opportunity.”
Mariah’s maternal grandmother was vehemently against her mother marrying a Black man, let alone having children with one, the Obsessed hitmaker revealed in her memoir. “That was an abomination.”
“It was the ultimate humiliation. My mother’s marriage to my father was beyond betrayal to her mother; it was a high crime against her white heritage, punishable by ex-communication.”
Mariah further wrote: “In my grandmother’s view, my mother loving my father made her a bottom-feeder, procreating with the lowest human group and making mulatto mongrels—me and my siblings [Morgan and Alison].
“Needless to say, my grandmother completely disowned her daughter.”
Mariah did not share further details about the causes of the death of her mom and sibling, but she did express the extent of her mourning feelings
My heart is broken for @MariahCarey So sorry for your loss, thinking of you during these difficult times My deepest condolence to you and your family, May God comfort you in your sorrow, It’s still hard for me to believe. I’m deeply sorry for what happened. pic.twitter.com/p7NDoaubPC
— Mariah Carey Brasil (@mcareybr) August 26, 2024
In addition to her late sister, Mariah also has a brother, Morgan Carey, born in 1960. Her relationship with both Morgan and Alison has been tumultuous over the years.
Alison, who has struggled with addiction and health issues, was reportedly estranged from Mariah for many years.
In The Meaning of Mariah Carey, the music star alleged that when she was 12, she was drugged and burned by her sister, who she also claimed attempted to recruit her as a sex worker.
She wrote: “When I was 12 years old my sister drugged me with Valium, offered me a pinky nail full of cocaine, inflicted me with third-degree burns, and tried to sell me out to a pimp.”
Mariah further claimed Alison’s boyfriend John was running a prostitution ring and that she was tricked into spending a night alone with him, ending up at a drive-in movie where “almost immediately” he put his arm around her.
Horrified by the “handgun resting against his thigh,” Mariah described how she only escaped after another car pulled up next to them, prompting John to drive her home “in silence,” The Independent reported in 2020.
“Dysfunctional families are ideal prey for abusers, the exposed little ones vulnerable to being picked off,” Mariah wrote.
The singer has previously accused Alison of betrayal and exploitation, including allegations that Alison attempted to sell stories about Mariah to the tabloids.
Mariah has since found comfort in her own little family, sharing 13-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe with her ex, Nick Cannon
Speaking to The Sun, Alison denied the claims in her little sister’s memoir and said she was shocked that Mariah would accuse her of recruiting her to be a sex worker.
Alison previously accused her and Patricia of letting strangers sexually abuse her when she was a child and involving her in satanic rituals, according to a court filing.
Mariah’s relationship with her brother, Morgan, has also been strained. Morgan has publicly criticized Mariah, accusing her of not supporting their family, particularly in relation to their sister Alison’s health and financial struggles.
In her book, Mariah described a violent fight between Morgan and their father, writing: “I witnessed the possibility that a member of my family could brutally die in front of my eyes.”
However, Morgan went on to say that “this cliched and racially charged portrayal of two Black males engaged in a physical struggle never happened.”
He accused his little sister of attempting to “play the victim card and curry favor with the Black Lives Matter movement,” The Guardian reported in 2021.
Both Morgan and Alison filed lawsuits against Mariah for defamation as a result of The Meaning of Mariah Carey’s publication.
The musician has since found comfort in her own little family, sharing 13-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe with her ex, Nick Cannon.
In addition to Moroccan and Monroe, the 43-year-old actor, who was married to Mariah from 2008 to 2016, has welcomed ten other children with five other women.
“I’m glad she got to spend time with her mom,” a reader commented
