Mariah Carey Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Before Mariah Carey became a famous musician, she struggled to find love and happiness within her broken family — a goal that didn’t change with musical success.
Carey detailed her ups and downs with her family, especially her mother, Patricia Carey, in her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey. The Grammy winner revealed that growing up she felt “significant neglect” from her mother, who she claimed was jealous of her career.
“For my sanity and peace of mind, my therapist encouraged me to literally rename and reframe my family. My mother became Pat to me, Morgan my ex-brother and Alison my ex-sister,” Mariah wrote, referring to her siblings, Morgan and Alison Carey. “I had to stop expecting them to one day miraculously become the mommy, big brother and big sister I fantasized about.”
She confessed, “I had to stop making myself available to be hurt by them,” noting that she continued to have a “complicated” dynamic with Patricia until her death in August 2024.
A handful of families have produced multiple music stars, building a legacy of intergenerational talent that reaches farther than most solo artists can hope — but along the way, many of these families have faced controversy, tragedy and chaos. The Jackson family, for example, dubbed the “Royal Family of Pop,” yielded over a dozen successful […]
Despite their ups and downs, Mariah said she felt “blessed” to spend “the last week with my mom before she passed,” telling People in a statement. “I appreciate everyone’s love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time.”
Scroll down to learn more about Mariah’s family:
Alfred Roy Carey
Mariah’s father, Alfred, welcomed three children with wife Patricia before the pair divorced when Mariah was only 3 years old in 1973. Mariah saw her father on weekends as a child, but once she became a star their visits grew less and less.
Alfred, who grew up in New York, died in July 2022 after battling a rare form of cancer called bile duct. He was 72. Prior to his passing, Mariah had reconnected with her father, who served in the military during his youth. She has since honored his legacy in her song “Sunflowers for Alfred Roy” and in October 2022, she restored his vintage sports car on his birthday.
Patricia Carey
Mariah’s mother was a Juilliard-trained opera singer, who after giving up her career to start a family became a vocal coach. Patricia died in August 2024 at age 87.
Throughout her life, Mariah’s relationship with Patricia was “anything but simple,” according to the singer’s memoir. Following her divorce from Alfred, Patricia had primary custody of Mariah and her two siblings, but it wasn’t smooth sailing.
“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,″ Mariah wrote. ″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.”
Despite their conflicts, Mariah said via a statement in August 2024, “My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother this past weekend,” following her death.
Over the years, stars including Jennette McCurdy and Macaulay Culkin have discussed hitting rock bottom with their parents. Jennette broke down the abuse she faced because of her mother, Debra McCurdy, in her memoir, I Am Glad My Mom Died. “Of course, there are moments where I fantasize that my mom would’ve apologized or that […]
Alison Carey
Alison was the oldest of Mariah’s siblings. Alison died on the same day as her and Mariah’s mother, Patricia, in August 2024. She was 63. “Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day,” Mariah said in a statement, confirming Alison’s passing.
Prior to her death, Mariah described her relationship with Alison as strained. “I have no doubt it is emotionally and physically safer for me not to have any contact with my ex-brother and ex-sister,” Mariah wrote of her siblings in her 2020 book. Alison later sued Mariah for allegedly inflicting “emotional distress” on her with her tell-all. The lawsuit was unresolved at the time of Alison’s death, according to InTouch.
Morgan Carey
Mariah Carey and brother Morgan Carey Barry King/WireImag)
Morgan is the only son of Alfred and Patricia. Mariah’s relationship with Morgan has been fraught with issues, many of which she depicted in her 2020 memoir. In addition to detailing an alleged physical fight between Morgan and their father in the book, Mariah alleged that Morgan tried to extort her for money when she became famous.
“Her attempt to falsely characterize plaintiff as equally violent as their father, and her subsequent commentary on police relations with Black people was only the beginning of defendant Mariah Carey’s desperate attempt to vilify plaintiff, play the victim card and curry favor with the Black Lives Matter movement,” Morgan’s legal team claimed in a defamation lawsuit against Mariah filed in March 2021.
Mariah filed a rebuttal, claiming, “The story of Ms. Carey’s rise from a dysfunctional and sometimes violent family environment has significant public value, particularly to any young person who may find her/himself stuck in similarly harsh and dispiriting circumstances and who can benefit from the inspiration to employ their talents in pursuit of their dreams,” according to Page Six.
In February 2022, a judge dismissed 14 of the 16 defamation lawsuit claims against Mariah. Justice Barbara Jaffee of the state Supreme Court in Manhattan said Morgan can sue Mariah over passages in her book that suggested he distributed cocaine to “the beautiful people,” and implied he might have “been-in-the-system” a.k.a. prison for a serious crime, Reuters reported. As of October 2023, the case was still ongoing.
Monroe Cannon
Mariah and Monroe Kevin Mazur/WireImage for MC
Mariah welcomed daughter Monroe and her twin brother, Moroccan, in April 2011 with then-husband Nick Cannon. Monroe was named after the late actress Marilyn Monroe. Mariah and Cannon were married from 2008 to 2016 before divorcing. The exes continue to coparent their two children.
When it comes to Monroe, who goes by the nickname “Roe,” she is following in her mom’s footsteps. In December 2022, Monroe sang a duet with Mariah during a Canadian Christmas concert. The following year, Monroe and Moroccan hit the stage with their mom in NYC.
While reflecting on her family, Carey discussed the lessons she wants to instill in her kids. “It’s very important that the kids always feel safe and that they feel seen and heard that they know that they are loved unconditionally. No matter what, I will be there for them,” she shared during a CBS Mornings appearance in 2020.
Moroccan Cannon
Moroccan Cannon, Nick Cannon and Monroe Cannon John Nacion/Getty Images
Moroccan was born second to Mariah and Cannon in April 2011. Like his sister, Moroccan’s initials are “MC,” which are also the same as his mother. Moroccan’s moniker was inspired by the décor style Mariah and Cannon had in their NYC apartment where Cannon proposed. He goes by “Roc.”
“They help to heal me every day. Every time we have a moment that feels real and authentic and genuine and it’s them loving me unconditionally,” Carey said during a 2020 Apple TV+ interview about motherhood. “Just by the fact that the children provide me with this actual love and they are my actual family and I’m not worried about them trying to hurt me or do any of the things that happened to me when I was a kid. I’ve never had a reference for unconditional familial love until now.”
