Mariah Carey’s Mother and Sister Pass Away on the Same Day

Mariah Carey’s mother, Patricia, and sister, Alison, both tragically passed away on the same day over the weekend, PEOPLE confirmed.

In an emotional statement, the Grammy-winning artist, 55, expressed her grief: “My heart is broken that I lost my mother this past weekend. In a tragic twist, my sister also passed away on the same day.” Despite the devastating loss, Mariah reflected on the solace of having spent time with her mother before her passing, adding, “I feel blessed that I was able to be with my mom in her final days.” She also thanked fans for their love and support, asking for privacy during this difficult time.

Details surrounding the causes of Patricia and Alison’s deaths have not been released.

Patricia, once married to Alfred Roy Carey, was a Juilliard-trained opera singer and vocal coach. Together, they had three children: Alison, Mariah, and their brother Morgan. The couple divorced when Mariah was just 3 years old, and her relationship with her mother became a central, yet complicated, part of her life. In her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, Mariah candidly wrote about the complexity of their bond: “Like many parts of my life, my journey with my mother has been full of contradictions and competing realities.”

She described the relationship as a “prickly rope” filled with mixed emotions, including “pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration, and disappointment.” Despite the challenges, Mariah maintained a connection with Patricia, including performing together during the 2010 ABC Christmas special Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to You.

In her memoir, Mariah dedicated part of her story to Patricia, writing, “To Pat, my mother, who, through it all, I do believe actually did the best she could. I will love you the best I can, always.”

Mariah’s relationship with her sister Alison was also fraught with difficulties. In the memoir, she explained that at one point, it was “emotionally and physically safer” for her to avoid contact with both Alison and her brother Morgan.

As fans and friends mourn with her, Mariah’s statement and memoir reveal the deep, complicated emotions that surrounded her family relationships, now tragically punctuated by the simultaneous loss of both her mother and sister.