Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey Announces the Passing of Her Mother and Sister

Mariah Carey is mourning the loss of two close family members. In a statement released on August 26, the 55-year-old singer shared that both her mother, Patricia Carey, and her sister, Alison Carey, passed away on the same day. Patricia was 87, and Alison was 63.

“My heart is broken to have lost my mother this past weekend. Tragically, my sister also passed away on the same day,” Carey told People magazine. “I feel grateful for the time I was able to spend with my mother in her final days. I appreciate everyone’s love and support and ask for privacy during this incredibly difficult time.”

While Carey did not disclose specific details regarding the causes of death, Times Union reported that Alison died in hospice care due to complications related to her internal organs.

Mariah Carey had a complex relationship with her mother, a Julliard-trained opera singer and vocal coach. In her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, she described their relationship as a “prickly rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration, and disappointment,” reflecting a deeply intertwined yet challenging connection.

Carey also had a strained relationship with her sister. In her memoir, she detailed that Alison had introduced her to drugs at a young age and exposed her to harmful situations, describing it as “emotionally and physically safer for me not to have any contact.” In 2021, Alison filed a lawsuit against Carey, claiming intentional infliction of emotional distress related to the memoir’s content. The lawsuit remained unresolved at the time of Alison’s death.

Who Is Mariah Carey?

Mariah Carey is a legendary singer and songwriter renowned for her extraordinary vocal range and significant contributions to music. With an unparalleled record of 19 No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100—more than any other solo artist in history—Carey first captivated audiences with her 1990 self-titled debut album, which showcased her impressive five-octave range and emotive love ballads.

Throughout the 1990s, Carey solidified her status as a musical icon with the release of diamond-certified albums such as Music Box and Daydream. By the end of the decade, she had surpassed Michael Jackson’s record for the most chart-topping singles by an individual artist. Her 2005 album, The Emancipation of Mimi, achieved significant commercial success, becoming the year’s best-selling record.

A five-time Grammy Award winner, Carey is one of the most commercially successful artists of all time, having sold over 200 million albums worldwide. Her extensive catalog includes iconic hits such as “Vision of Love,” “Hero,” “One Sweet Day” (a collaboration with Boyz II Men), “We Belong Together,” and the modern holiday classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”

Early Life

Mariah Carey was born on March 27, 1969, in Huntington, Long Island, New York. She is the daughter of Alfred Roy Carey, a Venezuelan aeronautical engineer, and Patricia Carey, a voice coach and opera singer. Mariah’s parents divorced when she was three years old. She is the youngest of three children; her older siblings are Morgan and Alison. Tragically, Alison passed away in August 2024, on the same day as their mother, Patricia. Their father, Alfred, died in 2002.

From a young age, Mariah displayed exceptional musical talent. By the age of two, she was already imitating her mother’s operatic singing, and she began formal voice training at four. Mariah developed an extraordinary vocal range spanning five octaves, a rare achievement in the music industry. Notable singers with similar vocal prowess include David Lee Roth and Yma Sumac.

After graduating from Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, New York, in 1987, Mariah relocated to Manhattan. There, she worked as a waiter and a coat check attendant while studying cosmetology. Concurrently, she dedicated her evenings to writing songs and pursuing a career in music.

Albums

At the age of 18, Mariah Carey attended a CBS Records party with Brenda K. Starr, for whom she had been performing as a backup singer. Starr encouraged Carey to bring one of her demo tapes to the event, intending to present it to Columbia Records’ Jerry Greenberg. However, Tommy Mottola, the president of Columbia Records (later Sony), intercepted the tape before Carey could give it to Greenberg. After listening to the tape on his way home, Mottola signed Carey to a recording contract immediately.

Since then, Carey has released 15 studio albums, including one soundtrack. All but one of these albums has reached the top 5 on the Billboard 200 chart, with six achieving the No. 1 position. Globally, Carey has sold over 200 million albums, making her the fourth best-selling female artist of all time in the United States, following Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Beyoncé.

Mariah Carey and Emotions

Following the signing of her initial record contract, Mariah Carey embarked on the creation of her debut album. Mariah Carey (1990) featured four No. 1 singles: “Vision of Love,” “Love Takes Time,” “Some Day,” and “I Don’t Wanna Cry.” Released in June of that year, the album achieved platinum status within two months and sold nine million copies by the end of the decade. The album was met with critical acclaim, earning Carey five Grammy nominations, including nods in all four major categories: Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist. Carey won the Grammy for Best New Artist, and “Vision of Love” was awarded Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 1991 Grammy Awards.

Carey’s second album, Emotions, was released in September 1991. The title track of the album became her fifth No. 1 single, and additional hits included “Can’t Let Go” and “Make It Happen.” In March 1992, Carey appeared on MTV’s Unplugged. The performance, which was released both as an album and a home video, yielded another No. 1 single, a cover of The Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There.”

Music Box, Merry Christmas, and Daydream

Mariah Carey reached new milestones in her career with the release of her album Music Box in 1993. This album marked a departure from the elaborate production techniques of her earlier works, featuring the chart-topping singles “Dreamlover” and “Hero.” Music Box achieved diamond certification, selling over 10 million copies by November 1997.

Carey cemented her reputation as the “Queen of Christmas” with the release of Merry Christmas in November 1994. Although initially hesitant to record a holiday album, Carey successfully combined traditional Christian hymns with new compositions, including the now-iconic “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” This song has become a modern Christmas classic, amassing billions of plays over three decades and joining only one other Christmas song, “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late),” in reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1995, Carey released another diamond-certified album, Daydream, which was also nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards. The album’s first single, “Fantasy,” debuted at No. 1, followed by the chart-topping “Always Be My Baby.” Notably, Daydream featured “One Sweet Day,” a collaboration with R&B group Boyz II Men. This track achieved unprecedented success, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for 16 consecutive weeks.

Final ’90s Albums: Butterfly and Rainbow

Two years following the release of Daydream, Mariah Carey unveiled Butterfly, which featured her 12th No. 1 hit, “Honey.” This Sean “Diddy” Combs–produced track highlighted Carey’s sustained engagement with hip-hop and R&B. Butterfly also marked her second consecutive album to debut at the top of the Billboard 200.

In 1998, Carey collaborated with fellow pop icon Whitney Houston on the duet “When You Believe” for the animated film The Prince of Egypt. This song later earned the Academy Award for Best Original Song, though the accolade was attributed to its writer and lyricist, Stephen Schwartz. Carey concluded the decade with her seventh studio album, Rainbow (1999). The album featured contributions from notable artists such as Jay-Z, Usher, Missy Elliott, and Snoop Dogg. In October of that year, her duet with Jay-Z, “Heartbreaker,” added to her impressive roster of No. 1 hits, elevating her to the position of second only to The Beatles for the most No. 1 songs in U.S. history. While Michael Jackson achieved 13 chart-topping singles over 23 years, Carey secured 14 No. 1 hits in just nine years.

2000s: The Emancipation of Mimi and Beyond

In the early 2000s, Mariah Carey experienced a series of significant changes in her music career. In April 2001, she signed a highly publicized contract with Virgin Records, a division of EMI, reportedly worth $80 million. This partnership was short-lived, lasting less than a year, but it did lead to the release of the Glitter soundtrack. Carey exited Virgin Records with a severance package estimated at nearly $50 million. In May 2002, she secured a new agreement with Universal Music Group’s Island/Def Jam Records.

With her career now stabilized, Carey released Charmbracelet in December 2002. While the album initially reached third place on the mainstream charts, it produced only one Billboard Hot 100 hit, “Through The Rain,” which peaked at a disappointing No. 81.

Carey made a remarkable comeback with her 2005 album, The Emancipation of Mimi. It was the best-selling album in the United States for that year and has since sold over seven million copies. The album featured the massive hit “We Belong Together,” which held the No. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks and earned Carey two Grammy Awards in 2006. The Emancipation of Mimi was also awarded Best Contemporary R&B Album, bringing Carey’s total Grammy count to five.

Her subsequent release, E=MC² (2008), demonstrated her continued ability to produce platinum-certified work nearly two decades into her career. The single “Touch My Body” achieved No. 1 status, while “Bye Bye” reached the top 20 on the Hot 100. E=MC² marked her fourth album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The following year, Carey released Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, which, while achieving modest success, did not match the impact of her previous work.

Later Albums

Since 2010, Mariah Carey’s career has experienced a notable shift in prominence. Her second holiday album, Merry Christmas II You, was released in that year. Her first original music in five years came with the album Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse in 2014. This was followed by two Las Vegas residencies and the 2018 release of Caution, her 15th studio album, which received recognition on several year-end album lists.

Carey’s more recent work has included a compilation album, a recording of a Christmas special, and various anniversary editions of her 1990s albums. In 2022, she was honored with an induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2024, Carey returned to Las Vegas for a third residency, titled The Celebration of Mimi, which featured 16 performances over the spring and summer.

Record of No. 1 Songs

Mariah Carey holds the record for the most No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 by a solo artist, with 19 chart-topping hits. This achievement brings her within one song of matching The Beatles’ overall record. Notably, Carey has maintained the top position across four decades, from the 1990s to the 2020s, a pioneering accomplishment in the music industry. Recognizing her significant impact, Carey released a compilation album titled #1’s in November 1998, featuring her No. 1 hits up to that point.

In December 2019, Carey reached another notable milestone when her perennial holiday favorite, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” topped the Billboard Hot 100 once again, 25 years after its original release, setting a new record for longevity on the charts.

The following is a chronological list of Mariah Carey’s No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100:

• “Vision of Love” (August 1990, four weeks)
• “Love Takes Time” (November 1990, three weeks)
• “Someday” (March 1991, two weeks)
• “I Don’t Wanna Cry” (May 1991, two weeks)
• “Emotions” (October 1991, three weeks)
• “I’ll Be There” (June 1992, two weeks)
• “Dreamlover” (September 1993, eight weeks)
• “Hero” (December 1993, four weeks)
• “Fantasy” (September 1995, eight weeks)
• “One Sweet Day” with Boyz II Men (December 1995, 16 weeks)
• “Always Be My Baby” (May 1996, two weeks)
• “Honey” (September 1997, three weeks)
• “My All” (May 1998, one week)
• “Heartbreaker” featuring Jay-Z (October 1999, two weeks)
• “Thank God I Found You” featuring Joe & 98 Degrees (February 2000, one week)
• “We Belong Together” (June 2005, 14 weeks)
• “Don’t Forget About Us” (December 2005, two weeks)
• “Touch My Body” (April 2008, two weeks)
• “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (December 2019, 14 weeks)

Movies

In the late 1990s, Carey ventured into the film industry, though her cinematic endeavors have largely complemented, rather than eclipsed, her substantial musical achievements.

Carey’s film debut came with a role in The Bachelor (1999). She later starred in Glitter (2001), a semi-autobiographical film portraying an aspiring singer navigating her career and relationships. Carey not only played the lead role but also recorded the film’s soundtrack. However, shortly before the film’s release, Carey was hospitalized, leading to the postponement of the film’s premiere from August to September 2001. The movie and its soundtrack did not achieve significant commercial success.

Despite this setback, Carey continued her acting career with notable roles in WiseGirls (2002), alongside Mira Sorvino, Tennessee (2008), Precious (2009), and The Butler (2013), directed by Lee Daniels. Her performance in Precious was particularly noteworthy, showcasing a dramatic departure from her glamorous public image and earning acclaim for her portrayal of a welfare caseworker.

In 2015, Carey both starred in and directed A Christmas Melody, a holiday film for the Hallmark Channel. Two years later, she voiced characters in two animated films: The Lego Batman Movie and The Star. Additionally, Carey made cameo appearances in comedies such as You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (2008), Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016), and Girls Trip (2017).

American Idol and Mariah’s World

Mariah Carey, renowned for her hit single “Hero,” has made several notable appearances on television. In 2012, Carey joined the judging panel for Season 12 of the acclaimed reality competition series American Idol, alongside Randy Jackson, Nicki Minaj, and Keith Urban. Despite her high-profile role, Carey later described her experience as “the worst of my life,” criticizing the show’s focus on feuding between judges rather than prioritizing the contestants.

In 2013, Carey lent her voice to a character on three episodes of the animated series American Dad! Three years later, she embarked on The Sweet Sweet Fantasy Tour and premiered Mariah’s World, a docuseries on the E! network that provided an inside look at her European tour.

Net Worth

As of March 2024, Mariah Carey’s net worth is estimated to be $350 million. The majority of her wealth originates from her music career, with significant contributions from royalties related to her iconic song, “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Industry sources have estimated her annual earnings to be between $2.5 million and $3 million. In 2023, a music industry veteran informed the Associated Press that this holiday classic, co-written by Carey, is projected to surpass $100 million in lifetime earnings during that season.

In addition to her successful music career, Carey leverages her prominence to support charitable causes. She actively fundraises for The Fresh Air Fund, a nonprofit organization that offers free summer vacations to underprivileged children in New York City. Furthermore, Carey co-founded Camp Mariah, an initiative of The Fresh Air Fund aimed at providing enriching experiences for youth.

Ex-Husbands and Children

In June 1993, singer Mariah Carey married music executive Tommy Mottola in a grand ceremony at Manhattan’s St. Thomas Episcopal Church. Their professional relationship began in the late 1980s when Mottola, then the president of Columbia Records, signed Carey after hearing her demo tape. Despite a significant 20-year age gap—Carey was 24 and Mottola 43 at the time of their marriage—their relationship developed into a romantic one by 1991.

Carey has since described the marriage as unhappy and “controlling,” likening it to imprisonment. In a 2019 interview with Cosmopolitan, she expressed feelings of having no personal freedom during this period. The couple divorced in 1998, and Mottola later described their relationship in his 2013 memoir as “absolutely wrong and inappropriate.”

Carey’s second marriage was to rapper and actor Nick Cannon, who is ten years her junior. Their relationship began after Cannon appeared in her music video for “Bye Bye,” and they were married on April 30, 2008, in a private ceremony in the Bahamas, following a brief courtship.

Shortly after their marriage, Carey announced her pregnancy during a 2008 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, a moment she later described as uncomfortable and regrettable. Carey experienced a miscarriage following this announcement. However, in October 2010, she and Cannon confirmed they were expecting again. Carey publicly showcased her pregnancy during a Christmas special, and on their fourth wedding anniversary in April 2011, she gave birth to twins—daughter Monroe, nicknamed “Roe,” and son Moroccan, known as “Roc.”

Carey and Cannon’s marriage lasted for six years, with their separation announced in August 2014 and their divorce finalized in 2016. Despite their split, they have maintained a cooperative co-parenting relationship.

In addition to her marriages, Carey has had other notable relationships. She dated Latin singer Luis Miguel for approximately three years, starting around 1998, before their reported breakup in the summer of 2001. After her second marriage, Carey became engaged to Australian businessman James Packer in January 2016, but they announced their separation in October of the same year.

More recently, Carey was in a long-term relationship with Bryan Tanaka, one of her backup dancers, who also appeared in her reality show Mariah’s World. Their relationship, confirmed in 2017, ended in December 2023 after seven years together.

Bipolar Diagnosis

In July 2001, Carey was admitted to a hospital in the New York area and placed under psychiatric care following what her publicists described as a “physical and emotional collapse.” She was discharged after a two-week stay but was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder.

For many years, Carey kept her diagnosis private. It was not until April 2018 that she publicly disclosed her condition in a cover story for People magazine. Carey revealed that, following her diagnosis, she had initially denied the condition and lived in fear of exposure. “Until recently, I lived in denial and isolation, constantly fearing that someone would reveal my struggles,” she shared. “It was a burden too heavy to carry, and I couldn’t bear it any longer.”

Carey described a turning point in her life when she sought professional help. She began therapy and medication, which led to significant improvements in her mental health. “I’m now in a good place, comfortable discussing my experiences with bipolar II disorder,” she said. “I hope we can reach a point where the stigma around mental health is removed. It can be an incredibly isolating experience, but it does not have to define or control you.”