Mariah Carey’s mother and sister died on same day
American singer Mariah Carey’s mother Patricia Hickey and sister Alison Carey died on the same day over the weekend, according to the American media on Aug 26.
“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,” said the All I Want For Christmas Is You (1994) hitmaker in a statement to People magazine.
“I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mum before she passed,” the 55-year-old added.
“I appreciate everyone’s love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time.”
American newspaper Times Union reported on Aug 26 that Alison, who had been in hospice care, died at age 63 and her cause of death was related to organ function.
Hickey, who died at age 87, was a former opera singer and vocal coach of Irish descent.
She married Alfred Carey, an aeronautical engineer of African-American and Afro-Venezuelan lineage, in 1960. They had three children: Mariah, Alison and their brother Morgan, now 64.
Alfred Carey and Hickey divorced when Mariah was three years old. He died of cancer at the age of 72 in 2002.
Mariah had a complicated relationship with her mother, according to her 2020 memoir, The Meaning Of Mariah Carey.
“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 Hero (1993) and Fantasy (1995) singer wrote.
Mariah – who shares 13-year-old twins Monroe and Moroccan with her former husband, American host Nick Cannon – also wrote about her complicated relationship with her siblings.
She said it was “emotionally and physically safer for me not to have any contact” with them.
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