Mariah Carey has announced that her mother and her sister have both died on the same day.
The singer, 55, issued a statement to PEOPLE today (27 August), where she spoke about the 'tragic turn of events' following the passing of her mother, Patricia Carey, and her sister Alison Carey.
She said: "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.
"I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed."
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The mother-of-two didn’t share the cause of death for her 87-year-old mum Patricia, or Alison, 63, adding that she 'appreciate everyone’s love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time'.
Patricia was an opera singer trained at Julliard and a vocal coach. She married Alfred Roy Carey and had three children; including Mariah, Alison and son Morgan.
The couple ended up divorcing when Mariah was three years old, and her relationship with her mother has been known to have been tricky throughout her life.
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The Glitter star wrote in her 2020 book, 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.
"Our relationship is a prickly rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration, and disappointment.
"A complicated love tethers my heart to my mother's."
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The mother-and-daughter performed together in 2010 for the TV special, Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to You.
They performed the Christmas carol, 'O Come All Ye Faithful', and Mariah asked the audience to give her mother 'a big hand' for her performance.
Her relationship with her siblings, including Alison, may also have been complicated, as the singer wrote in her 2020 memoir that it was 'emotionally and physically safer for me not to have any contact' with her sister and brother.
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Fans were quick to rally around Mariah following the news and wrote on her social media pages to offer their condolences.
One person wrote: "We are sorry for your loss and wishing you all the healing energy possible.”
While another commented: "Sending all the love in the world for you and your family.
"We are here for you and don’t you ever feel you’re going through this alone we will always have your back."
Britt Jones