Mariah Carey Speaks Out After Her Mom and Sister Die on the Same Day

Mariah Carey knows love takes time to heal. 

After her mother Patricia Hickey and her sister Alison Carey both died on the same day in August, Mariah has shared an update with her fans.  

“Back at work,” she began the caption on a Sept. 8 Instagram video. “It’s been a couple of rough weeks, but I appreciate everyone’s love and support so much and I can’t wait to see my fans in China & Brazil. Love you!” 

In the video, the 55-year-old is dressed in a black corseted gown as she sings her song “It’s Like That” while accompanied by a piano.  

Mariah’s post marks as her return to social media just weeks after losing her mother and sister.  

At the time of their passing, the Grammy winner told E! News in an Aug. 26 statement, “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." 

She continued, "I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed. I appreciate everyone's love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time."

Mariah has not shared any additional information about Patricia or Alison’s causes of death. 

Over the years, the “Always Be My Baby” singer has been candid about her strained relationships with her mother—who was a Juilliard-trained opera singer and vocal coach—and her sister Alison. (Mariah also has a second sister Morgan.)  

In fact, Mariah detailed their history together in her 2020 memoir The Meaning of Mariah.  

"Like many aspects of my life, my journey with my mother has been full of contradictions and competing realities," she wrote. "It's never been only black-and-white—it's been a whole rainbow of emotions." Mariah detailed how while the two bonded over their shared love of music, as she grew older, Mariah began to see jealousy from her mother.

“Having people you love be jealous of you professionally comes with the territory of success," she wrote, "but when the person is your mother and the jealousy is revealed at such a tender age, it's particularly painful." 

Mariah—who shares twins Monroe and Moroccan, 13, with ex-husband Nick Cannon—also wrote how early experiences with her mother showed her “how misguided words from a mother can really affect a child.” 

She also recalled difficult experiences with Alison while growing up.  

Mariah went on to say that when she was 12 years old, her sister "drugged me with Valium, offered me a pinky nail full of cocaine, inflicted me with third-degree burns, and tried to sell me out to a pimp." 

It’s an experience that has never left her. As she wrote, "I am still struggling through that time."