Mariah Carey’s sister, Alison Carey, spent years battling addiction and homelessness, moving from shelters to sleeping in cars, without any contact or support from her famous sister.
Mariah Carey performing at the Global Citizen Festival on September 24, 2022, in New York. | Source: Getty Images
The Core Story: Understanding Mariah Carey's's Impact
In Alison’s dying moments, the famous singer was said to still have not reached out to mend a relationship that had been fractured for years or offer financial support, despite her fortune. This resulted in their brother publicly criticizing Mariah’s actions.
Take a look at the sisters’ relationship over the years, including the shocking accusations Mariah made against Alison, leading them to have no contact since the early 1990s.
Alison Carey’s Struggles and Final Days
At around only 16, Alison Carey, a native of Huntington, Long Island, became a sex worker and entered her first marriage. Mariah’s estranged sister later developed a heroin addiction, which was believed to be how she contracted HIV.
Alison Carey during an interview in 2016. | Source: YouTube/ Hudson Valley News Network
Over the years, Alison found herself living in desperate conditions, often sleeping in cars or staying in homeless shelters. She reportedly claimed that her younger sister did not step in to help during these difficult times.
Alison Carey during an interview in 2017. | Source: YouTube/ Hudson Valley News Network
Tragedy continued to follow Alison in 2015. While living on Long Island, she became the victim of a brutal home invasion. An intruder struck her in the head with a baseball bat, causing a traumatic brain injury and short-term memory loss.
Alison Carey receiving assistance while living in a women’s shelter in 2016. | Source: YouTube/ Hudson Valley News Network
Despite being hospitalized and in urgent need of brain and spine surgery, Mariah was said to have offered no financial support. Their brother, Morgan Carey, criticized the singer’s lack of help, angrily stating, “She probably spends more on dog food than it would cost to make sure her sister gets properly cared for.”
“Alison has desperately reached out to Mariah over and over again. We never hear back,” he continued. Sadly, in August 2024, Mariah announced that her mother, Patricia Carey, and Alison died on the same day.
“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,” Mariah said. No further details about the causes of death were given in the singer’s statement.
Alison reportedly wrote to the SSA office in Hudson three times and reached out to U.S. Senator Charles Schumer’s office. A staffer there got the SSA to contact Alison, who provided proof she was in an apartment and not a medical facility. According to David, Mariah’s estranged sister was on home hospice care for three weeks before her death at 63.
Following Alison’s passing, David paid a touching tribute to his late friend. “Beneath a tough exterior, Alison was a highly intelligent, warm, and sensitive person. I will miss her greatly. Farewell, Alison. May you now find peace, your tortured soul forever free from earthly pain,” he shared.
David also disclosed that Alison often spoke about the unhappiness of being cut off from her “baby sister,” wondering if Mariah or any family members would attend her funeral. “She talked about it frequently,” he said.
Alison Carey in a 2023 TikTok video. | Source: TikTok/didyoucatchthis
He alleged that Mariah never made an effort to reach out to her sister, even in Alison’s final days. In response to whether reconciliation was ever possible, Mariah remarked, “I have forgiveness in my heart, and so I forgive them, but I am not trying to invite anybody to come hang out over here. I think they’re very broken, and I feel sad for them.”
In her 2020 memoir, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey,” the pop diva described her childhood as something she had to overcome on her way to stardom. Mariah wrote candidly about her troubled upbringing with her older siblings, whom she referred to as her “ex-brother” and “ex-sister.”
Alison Carey during an interview in 1995. | Source: YouTube/ Inside Edition
Reactions, Impact, and Expert Perspectives
Mariah described a household filled with volatility, recounting how she regularly witnessed intense fights between Morgan and their mother. The singer also described how she longed for a loving, big-sister relationship with Alison, but their bond instead left her feeling unsafe.
Mariah Carey spotted in Aspen, Colorado, on December 23, 2023. | Source: Getty Images
She recalled being placed in risky situations, sometimes involving men, whenever she got too close to Alison. In her book, Mariah revealed painful details about her turbulent relationship with Alison, claiming her sister repeatedly hurt and betrayed her in unimaginable ways.
Mariah alleged that Alison “drugged” her with Valium when she was 12 years old. The “Fantasy” singer added, “[She] offered me a pink nail full of cocaine and inflicted me with third-degree burns and tried to sell me to a pimp.”
Alison’s actions left her younger sister scarred with trauma so deep she struggled to move on from it and said she was “eternally twelve.” Despite this, Mariah reportedly tried multiple times to help Alison by funding her treatments and stays in rehabilitation centers.
However, the singer ultimately felt there was no way to heal the wounds or repair the damage. This fractured relationship led to years of distance; Mariah said she had not spoken to Alison since 1994. However, she still kept in touch with Alison’s son, born when she was just 15.
Mariah Carey at the 89th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Rehearsals on November 24, 2015, in New York. | Source: Getty Images
Mariah also discussed how Alison and Morgan seemed to resent her, believing she had it easier during their upbringing. She shared that while their father was strict with her siblings, he was more lenient with the singer, simply because she was too young to face his harsher discipline.
This perceived disparity allegedly fueled their anger toward Mariah, contributing to an ongoing family rift that defined much of her life. During an interview, the singer opened up about her frustration over the way her siblings reportedly had treated her.
“Here’s the thing: They have been ruthlessly just heartless in terms of dealing with me as a human being for most of my life. I never would have spoken about my family at all had they not done it first,” Mariah stated.
The singer added that she was constantly worried that her siblings would go to the tabloids again, as she claimed they had done in the past. Mariah just didn’t want her family to see her as an “ATM machine with a wig.”
Mariah Carey photographed in Los Angeles, California, on November 2, 2023. | Source: Getty Images
he Grammy-winning artist eventually realized she had to stop expecting her brother and sister to transform into the loving siblings she longed for, and began distancing herself to protect her own well-being.
For Mariah Carey, the wounds of her past ran deep. Her relationship with her sister remained strained until Alison’s death, marked by years of silence and unresolved conflict.
Alison’s story, filled with hardship and estrangement, remains a stark contrast to Mariah’s world of success, underscoring the complexities of family ties and forgiveness.
