American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey has announced the death of her mother Patricia and sister Alison, which occured on the same day.

"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,” Mariah Carey said in a statement to CNN.

The Grammy-winning singer said she felt blessed to have spent time with her mother in the week before her death and asked for privacy.

"I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed," Carey said in a statement. "I appreciate everyone’s love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time.”

Details about what caused the deaths of Patricia Carey and Alison Carey, respectively, were not provided by the pop star.

In Carey's 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, the five-time Grammy Award-winning singer detailed her complicated relationship with her mother, saying it had caused her "so much pain and confusion”.

Carey  also spoke of the deep love she had had for her mother, writing in the dedication: “To Pat, my mother, who, through it all, I do believe actually did the best she could. I will love you the best I can, always.”