Mariah Carey’s mother and sister have passed away on the same day, August 24, 2024.
Mariah Carey’s relationship with her mother, Patricia Carey, was as complex as it was foundational to the superstar’s life and career. Patricia, a Juilliard-trained opera singer, was once the guiding force behind Mariah’s musical upbringing, but their bond was far from harmonious.
Their relationship was marked by deep contradictions—love mixed with pain, admiration tinged with jealousy, and moments of closeness followed by sharp conflicts.
From a young age, Mariah was aware of the tension between her and her mother. Patricia, who had sacrificed her own operatic ambitions to raise her children, was both a mentor and a rival to Mariah. In her memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey, the singer revealed how Patricia’s words and actions often cut deeply, leaving scars that never fully healed.
For instance, Mariah recalls an incident when her mother told her, “You should only hope that one day you become half the singer I am,” a remark that still haunts her(Peoplemag, Peoplemag).
Compounding these emotional wounds was Patricia’s struggle with addiction. Although not widely publicized, it’s suggested that Patricia faced her own battles with substance abuse, which added further strain to their already fraught relationship.
Mariah described their dynamic as a “prickly rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration, and disappointment,” (Heavy.com, Peoplemag).
Despite the turbulence, Mariah chose to embrace a moment of reconciliation and musical collaboration when the two performed together during the 2010 ABC special Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to You. The mother-daughter duo sang a heartfelt rendition of “O Come All Ye Faithful/Hallelujah Chorus,”
Despite their challenges, Mariah never fully severed ties with her mother. She continued to care for Patricia, even as their relationship remained difficult and painful. Mariah’s deep-seated need for maternal approval was never fully met, leaving a “cloud of sadness” that lingered over their connection until Patricia’s passing(Peoplemag,Peoplemag).
Mariah Carey’s relationship with her sister, Alison Carey, was fraught with even more tension and heartbreak than her bond with her mother. Alison, who was eight years older than Mariah, lived a life full of hardship and addiction, which took a severe toll on their relationship.
The sisters’ paths diverged drastically—while Mariah soared to global superstardom, Alison struggled with addiction, health issues, and a troubled past.
Alison’s life was marred by drug addiction, which began in her early 20s and eventually led to her being diagnosed with HIV. Over the years, she faced numerous challenges, including homelessness and severe health issues, some of which resulted from a violent home invasion.
Despite her struggles, Alison publicly expressed resentment towards Mariah, claiming that her famous sister had not done enough to help her(Heavy.com).
The rift between the sisters was exacerbated by Alison’s attempts to gain financial support from Mariah, leading to several public disputes. Alison even filed a lawsuit against Mariah in 2020, accusing her of defamation for detailing incidents in her memoir where Alison allegedly abused her as a child.
Mariah wrote that Alison had exposed her to traumatic experiences, including giving her Valium, attempting to pimp her out, and causing her third-degree burns by throwing hot tea on her (Heavy.com).
These harrowing memories and the constant public and legal battles forced Mariah to distance herself from Alison. In her memoir, Mariah described how it was emotionally and physically safer for her to keep her distance from her sister, whose presence in her life became increasingly toxic.
Despite this, the pain of their fractured relationship was evident, with Mariah expressing the profound sadness that came with having to separate from someone she once loved(Peoplemag, Peoplemag).
The Times Union reports,
Alison Carey, the estranged sister of Grammy Award-winning singer Mariah Carey, died over the weekend at her home in Greene County, according to her friend and advocate David Baker. She was 63.
He said it was related to Carey’s organ function and that she had been in hospice care.
“We knew it was coming,” he said, adding: “There were signs that she couldn’t go any further.”
A native of Huntington, Long Island, Alison Carey had been living in Greene County in recent years. In 2015 on Long Island, she was the victim of a home invasion, when an intruder struck her in the head with a baseball bat.
Carey suffered a brain injury and short-term memory loss. She struggled over the years, including with homelessness and substance use disorder.
In her final days, Alison was able to reconnect with her children, offering a small measure of peace amidst years of turmoil(Heavy.com).
Patricia Carey, who was 89 years old at the time of her death, had been in declining health for some time. Given her advanced age, it’s possible that her death was due to natural causes, though no further details have been provided.
Despite the tumultuous relationship between her and Mariah, the singer expressed that she felt “blessed” to have spent the last week of Patricia’s life by her side. (Peoplemag, EW.com).
Alison Carey’s death, on the other hand, seems to be the culmination of years of health struggles exacerbated by her long battle with addiction. A longtime advocate for Alison shared that her death was related to “organ function” issues and confirmed that she had been in hospice care prior to her passing.
Given Alison’s history with HIV and her past substance abuse, it’s not surprising that her health had deteriorated to this point. In her final days, Alison was able to reunite with her children, a bittersweet moment that offered a measure of solace amidst her otherwise tragic life(Heavy.com Peoplemag, EW.com).
