Everything Mariah Carey Said About Her ‘Complicated’ Relationship with Late Mom Patricia: She ‘Did the Best She Could’

The Grammy winner said in a statement to PEOPLE that her “heart is broken” over the loss of her mother

Mariah Carey in New York City in January 2018

Mariah Carey is mourning the loss of her mother Patricia Carey.

Before confirming to PEOPLE that both her sister Alison Carey and her mother died on the same day over the weekend, it was known that the singer, 55, has a strained relationship with her family members.

Here’s everything she has said about her relationship with her late mom.

Related: Joe Jonas Insists He’s Not Putting ‘Stuff on Blast’ with New Post-Split Album: ‘Not Trying to Come for Anyone’

They were together before Patricia died

“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 Grammy-winning singer said in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE on Monday, Aug. 26.

“I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed,” Mariah added. “I appreciate everyone’s love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time.”

No other details, including Patricia and Alison’s causes of death, are known at this time.

Mariah Carey and her mom.

There was “pain and confusion” early on

Mariah was born to Alfred, an Afro-Venezuelan aeronautical engineer, and Patricia, a white opera singer, in Huntington, New York on March 27, 1969.

Her parents interracial relationship was the source of conflict with her mother’s side of the family.

In her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, she recalled her childhood with Patricia, writing that their bond “has caused me so much pain and confusion.”

“For my sanity and peace of mind, my therapist encouraged me to literally rename and reframe my family,” Mariah continued. “My mother became Pat to me, Morgan my ex-brother and Alison my ex-sister … I had to stop expecting them to one day miraculously become the mommy, big brother and big sister I fantasized about.”

Related: Blake Lively Celebrates Birthday with Ryan Reynolds

There was “betrayal and beauty” in their mother-daughter relationship

Additionally, the “We Belong Together” singer wrote in her memoir that their story was one “of betrayal and beauty. Of love and abandonment. Of sacrifice and survival.”

“I’ve emancipated myself from bondage several times, but there is a cloud of sadness that I suspect will always hang over me, not simply because of my mother but because of our complicated journey together.”

Mariah Carey and her mom Patricia.

Patricia “did the best she could”

Mariah dedicated part of her memoir to Patricia.

“And to Pat, my mother, who, through it all, I do believe actually did the best she could,” she wrote. “I will love you the best I can, always.”

When it came to her siblings, sister Alison and brother Morgan, the “Butterfly” singer revealed it was “emotionally and physically safer for me not to have any contact” with them.

Related: Chris Hemsworth Learns to Play Drums at Ed Sheeran Concert

Patricia was a talented vocalist as well

Mariah wasn’t the only talent in the Carey household. Patricia was a Juilliard-trained opera singer and vocal coach.

“You should only hope that one day you become half the singer I am,” Patricia allegedly once told a teen Mariah.

″Still, to this day, what she said haunts and hurts me,” the singer recalled in her memoir.

For You: To Watch Movies Here