Despite their extremely complicated bond, Mariah Carey made her commitment to her late mother clear. Former opera singer and vocal coach Patricia died at the age of 87, and Mariah has expressed gratitude for the time she spent with her in the week leading up to her death. In a heartbreaking turn of events, 'Songbird Supreme' Mariah also lost her sister Alison, 63, on the exact same day in a double tragedy over the weekend.
No further information has been given regarding the causes of death, and Mariah, 55, has asked for privacy during what will naturally be an incredibly difficult time. As with many families, relations were often fraught behind the scenes, with Mariah having previously opened up candidly about how professional jealousy had come between her and her Juilliard-trained mother. An extraordinary vocal talent in her own right, Patricia sang with The New York City Opera as a mezzo-soprano, before her retirement and had a deep love of classical music.
According to Mariah, Patricia also shared some of her own famous 'diva' qualities, and communication between the pair was often fraught with tension. Opening up in a heartfelt passage in her 2020 memoir, The Meaning Of Mariah Carey, New York-born Mariah shared: "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.
" Mariah went on to describe their difficult relationship as a 'prickly r.