The Grammy award-winning artist revealed the news in a statement, confirming that two members of her close family had lost their lives this past weekend.
“My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother this past weekend,” Carey shared, as per PEOPLE. “Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day.”
Needless to say, experiencing such profound loss is a virtually incomparable experience, though Carey did express her gratitude at getting to spend time with her mother before her passing.
“I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed,” the All I Want For Christmas singer said.
“I appreciate everyone’s love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time.”
At the time of the writing, the causes of death for sister Alison and mom Patricia are unknown. Patricia was a Juilliard-trained opera singer and vocal coach before she and Alfred Roy Carey welcomed daughters Alison and Mariah and son Morgan. The parents divorced when the Mariah was 3 years old.
According to PEOPLE, the We Belong Together hitmaker had a complicated relationship with her mother.
In her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, Mariah wrote: “Like many aspects of my life, my journey with my mother has been full of contradictions and competing realities. It’s never been only black-and-white — it’s been a whole rainbow of emotions.”
The singer’s relationship with Alison was also strained, at least as of the publication of her aforementioned memoir. Within the pages of the book, Carey wrote that it was “emotionally and physically safer for me not to have any contact” with her siblings.
We’re sending strength and love in Mariah Carey’s direction. It’s extremely difficult to deal with the loss of a loved one, but to endure two passing on the same day?
