Mariah Carey Remained Deaf to ‘Dying’ Sister’s Pleas for Help – Here’s Why

Mariah Carey was exposed to the world of entertainment and music from a young age. Later in life, she’d look back at the traumatic childhood she had experienced as a young girl through her memoir, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey.”

Recently, the singer lost her mother, Patricia Carey, and sister, Alison Carey on the same day. Mariah was estranged from her siblings for years and her sister had accused her of not being there for them at a time of need.

Famous singer Mariah was always destined for stardom. Born on March 27, 1969, in Huntington, New York, she’s the daughter of a formal vocal coach and opera singer, Patricia Carey.

Mariah was the youngest of three children. She has two older siblings, a brother named Morgan Carey and her sister, Alison.

Sadly, Mariah’s sister and mother died in late August 2024. She announced, “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.”

The singer’s sister died aged 63 at her home in Greene County, as per her friend and advocate David Baker. David did not disclose the exact cause of death.

However, he mentioned it was connected to her organ function and that Alison had been in hospice care. He acknowledged that they had anticipated it, noting there were clear signs she couldn’t continue much longer.

As for the singer’s mother, Mariah was grateful she spent time with Patricia in the week leading up to her passing. She thanked everyone for their love, support, and respect for her privacy during this incredibly difficult period.

Patricia, once married to Alfred Roy Carey, was a Juilliard-trained opera singer before the couple had their three children, Alison, Mariah, and Morgan. The couple divorced when Mariah was just 3 years old.

Mariah Carey’s relationship with her mother, from whom she inherited her vocal abilities, was complex throughout her life.

Growing up in the Carey household, the young singer was constantly in a state of anxiety, always looking over her shoulder. She shared that her siblings had problems they dealt with and struggled to rid themselves of them.

When she made these revelations, the pop star clarified, “I wouldn’t have gone here if things hadn’t been done to me. If I hadn’t been dragged by certain people and treated as an ATM machine with a wig on.”

Mariah once described Morgan as violent and claimed her sister Alison was “troubled and traumatized.” While she tried to understand where they were coming from, she realized they never gave her the same courtesy.

When Mariah was only 12, her sister forced her to take substances and inflicted her with a third-degree burn. She then tried to “sell [Carey] out to a pimp,” which traumatized the singer for life.

She noted, “Something in me was arrested by all that trauma, That’s why I often say ‘I am eternally twelve.’ I am still struggling through that time.”

Hoping to turn her life around, Mariah moved to New York City after graduating from high school to pursue a career in the music industry. She sent a demo tape to Columbia Records, and Tommy Mottola was more than impressed by the young Mariah’s vocal range.

Mottola signed her in 1988, just a year after graduating high school. Their work relationship turned into something more – Tommy marred Mariah in 1993, three years after she released her debut album, “Mariah Carey.”

Mariah’s career offered her a respite from all her family problems with her mother and siblings. Little did she know, her fame and fortune were some things they were all interested in, too.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Mariah opened up about her two siblings and how terribly they treated her all her life. They put her on “the chopping block” for years, selling gossip to magazines and attacking her in front of the press.

The two were like scavengers as they wanted her to fall so they could take the fortune that she negotiated, built, and fought for. She said that eventually, it was physically safer for her not to have contact with her siblings, whom she called, “ex-brother and ex-sister.”

Her siblings never considered her as a younger sister. They grew up together, but by the time Mariah was born, they were already grownups on their own paths.

Additionally, her siblings felt that Mariah had life easier than them. “Our father was very strict with them. He was not harsh with me because three or four years old was the oldest I had been when we were all together” she disclosed.

Mariah felt like an outsider in her own family. Her two siblings grew up with a black dad and white mom, while she did not. Her mom raised her, and because of that, her siblings thought she had it better.

The singer knew that her dad, Alfrey Roy Carey, also felt like an outsider. On his deathbed, Mariah assured him that what she went through was not his fault. “That was an important part for me,” she noted, leaving nothing unsaid to her dying dad.

However, as for the rest of her family, Mariah was the first to admit they’ve gone through so much just to sweep it under the rug.

At some point, she had to stop expecting Patricia to be like a mommy to her. She also put an end to the big brother and big sister fantasy she had for her siblings. “I had to stop making myself available to be hurt by them. It has been helpful,” she admitted.

Therefore, Mariah became estranged from her siblings for years. When Alison was diagnosed with HIV in 2012, she begged for forgiveness. She revealed she hadn’t spoken to Mariah since 1994 when they had a huge argument.

In 2016, Morgan Carey spoke ill of Mariah after she refused to pay for Alison’s hospital bills. He called her “heartless” for not having the will to help their “dying” sister.

“You’re an evil witch,” he said of Mariah after the incident. He believed his famous sister was “self-obsessed” and could not even spare a small portion of her then-450-million-dollar fortune for their family.

Despite the accusations, a source close to Mariah said she never abandoned her ailing sister. However, rather than focusing on her medical bills, she chose to care for Alison’s children and has been a constant presence in their lives for years.

Things took a turn for the worse after Mariah released “The Meaning of Mariah Carey,” her memoir. It was supposed to be a way for the singer to finally speak up for herself after years of being in the industry.

In the memoir, Mariah shared that she spent so much on Alison that she became her fire department anytime she was ablaze. She would finance her treatments and pay for stays in premium rehabs.

Due to such revelations, this memoir became a stepping stone for her siblings to launch lawsuits against her. Alison sued her younger sister, claiming she suffered emotional distress from the allegations against her.

Alison Carey sued Mariah for at least $1.25 million. She also defended herself, claiming she suffered trauma and alleged abuse from their mother, Patricia.

Likewise, Morgan also sued Mariah over the book, claiming it was “fabricated.” One of the pop star’s claims in the book was that her brother agreed to kill for $30,000 but never went through with the plan.

Morgan denied it and said he was filing a lawsuit. “The so-called ‘memoir’ is laden with lies, distortions, and gross revisionism from beginning to end, and I can prove it,” he said.

When it comes to her mom, Mariah felt neglected growing up. The two were never especially close, and she confessed that they didn’t manage to improve their relationship as she grew older. Now with children of her own, she makes sure to give them the world.

In recent years, Mariah no longer considered her mom or siblings family. She called her mom “Patricia” and referred to her siblings as her ex-brother and sister. This decision came after years of therapy, trying to heal the childhood trauma she experienced.

However, before others can think she’s a neglectful daughter, she once said, “I’ll always take care of her. There’s been a huge role reversal in our relationship since the beginning, since I first started [singing] I’ve been the go-to, that matriarch person, even as the youngest child in the family.”

Despite having a difficult relationship with her mom, she hoped that Patricia could see how she turned out to be a good person who tried her best to make things work for their family.

Mariah loves her family and always will; she’s made that clear plenty of times. However, while she’s learned to forgive them for the past and present, she doesn’t want to build relationships with them again.

The singer wants to keep her peace, something she worked hard to gain through the years. Mariah found solace in her two kids, twins Monroe and Moroccan, whom she shares with Nick Cannon. She was also in a loving, long-term relationship with her boyfriend Bryan Tanaka.