Mariah Carey is heartbroken as she announces that her mother and sister both died on the same day in a “tragic turn of events”

Mariah Carey has announced that her mother and sister died on the same day.

The 55-year-old singer released a statement to PEOPLE today (August 27) discussing the “tragic turn of events” following the deaths of her mother Patricia Carey and sister Alison Carey.

She said: “I am heartbroken to have lost my mother last weekend. Unfortunately, in a tragic turn of events, my sister also lost her life on the same day.

“I feel blessed to have been able to spend the last week with my mother before she passed away.”

The mother of two did not disclose the cause of death of her 87-year-old mother Patricia or 63-year-old Alison, adding that she “appreciates everyone's love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time.”

Patricia was a Juilliard-trained opera singer and voice teacher. She married Alfred Roy Carey and had three children, including Mariah, Alison and son Morgan.

The couple divorced when Mariah was three, and her relationship with her mother was notoriously difficult throughout her life.

The Sparkle star wrote in her 2020 book, The meaning of Mariah Carey: “Like many aspects of my life, my journey with my mother was full of contradictions and competing realities.

“It was never just black and white – it was a whole rainbow of emotions.

“Our relationship is a prickly rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration and disappointment.

“A complicated love connects my heart with that of my mother.”

Carey with her mother Patricia. (Mariah Carey/ Instagram)

Mother and daughter appeared together for the TV special in 2010, Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas.

They played the Christmas song “O Come All Ye Faithful” and Mariah asked the audience to give her mother “a big round of applause” for her performance.

Her relationship with her siblings, including Alison, may also have been complicated, with the singer writing in her 2020 memoir that she found it “emotionally and physically safer” to have “no contact” with her sister and brother.

Following the news, Mariah's fans quickly rallied around her and wrote their condolences on their social media pages.

One person wrote: “We are sorry for your loss and wish you all possible healing energy.”

Another commented: “Sending you and your family all the love in the world.

“We are here for you and you should never feel like you have to go through this alone. We are always behind you.”