MUSIC
Mariah Carey’s mother and sister die on the same day: what was the cause of death?
The artist is in mourning following the deaths of her mother, Patricia Hickey, and her sister, Alison Carey claiming: “My heart is broken.”
Tragedy struck Mariah Carey’s world last weekend as both the singer’s mother, Patricia Carey, and sister Alison, tragically passed away over the weekend on the same day.
“My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother this past weekend,” Carey said on Monday. “Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day.”
She added in a statement released to People: “I appreciate everyone’s love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time”, but the 55-year-old singer gave no further details about either woman’s cause of death.
Complex relationships
Mariah’s mother, 87-year-old Patricia, was a former opera singer and vocal coach of Irish-American descent and in her 2020 published memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, the ‘We Belong Together’ singer detailed her complicated relationship with her mother, saying it had caused her “so much pain and confusion”.
The singer added that: “jealousy comes with the territory of success, but when the person is your mother and the jealousy is revealed at such a tender age, it’s particularly painful”, she added.
But she also spoke of the deep love she had had for her mother, writing in the dedication: “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 and she was always quick to credit her mother with exposing her to music.
Carey’s older sister Alison (63), had been receiving hospice care before her death and the cause of her passing has not been revealed
Mariah Carey herself has repeatedly acknowledged, that despite having a strong bond with both her mother and sister, she had several run-ins with them throughout her life, even causing their relationship to falter.
Carey is regarded as one of the most successful singers globally and her festive track All I Want For Christmas Is You is the best-selling Christmas song by a female artist of all time.
The 55-year-old New Yorker has a US pre-Christmas tour scheduled for November and December and recently concluded a Las Vegas residency at the Park MGM.