LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� mother Patricia and sister Alison both died on the same day, the singer said Monday.
鈥淢y heart is broken that I鈥檝e lost my mother this past weekend. Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day,鈥� the Grammy-winning singer said in a statement.
鈥淚 feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed,鈥� the statement continued. 鈥淚 appreciate everyone鈥檚 love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time.鈥�
reported Monday that Alison, who was largely estranged from Carey, died at 63 from complications with her organ function and that she had been in hospice care.
first reported the news of their deaths and Carey鈥檚 statement.
Patricia was a Juilliard-trained opera singer who Carey credits as an inspiration to her from a young age.
鈥淚 would sing little tunes around the house, to my mother鈥檚 delight. And she always encouraged me,鈥� she wrote in her 2020 memoir, 鈥淭he Meaning of Mariah Carey.鈥�
Patricia was previously married to Alfred Roy Carey, the singer鈥檚 father. The parents divorced when the 鈥淰ision of Love鈥� singer was 3. Carey grew up in Suffolk County on Long Island and lived primarily with her mother after her parents鈥� divorce. Her father died of cancer in 2002 at age 72.
Carey detailed her complicated relationship with her mother and her sister in her memoir, in which she wrote that she and her mother often clashed, causing her to feel 鈥渟o much pain and confusion,鈥� and accused her sister of putting her in unsafe situations as a child.
鈥淟ike many aspects of my life, my journey with my mother has been full of contradictions and competing realities. It鈥檚 never been only black-and-white 鈥� it鈥檚 been a whole rainbow of emotions,鈥� Carey wrote in the book. 鈥淥ur relationship is a prickly rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration and disappointment. A complicated love tethers my heart to my mother鈥檚.鈥�
Carey maintained contact with her mother and even recorded a duet of 鈥淥 Come All Ye Faithful/Hallelujah Chorus鈥� for the singer鈥檚 second Christmas album in 2010.
Kaitlyn Huamani, The Associated Press
