Mariah Carey is mourning the loss of both her mother and her sister

She told People: "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. 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."

The 'Always Be My Baby' songstress did not reveal any further details about the events that led to the deaths and did not elaborate at all on the situation beyond her initial statement.

Patricia - who divorced the late Alfred Roy Carey in 1973 - was an opera singer and vocal coach before giving birth to her first child, whilst Alison endured some personal struggles including homelessness throughout her life and has been estranged from her superstar sibling for a number of years.

Meanwhile, Mariah has previously opened up about the complicated relationship she had with her mother and described it all as a "rainbow of emotions" in her memoir.

Writing in her 2020 tome 'The Meaning of Mariah Carey', she said: "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. Our relationship is a prickly rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration and disappointment.

"A complicated love tethers my heart to my mother's."