Mariah Carey Last Saw Estranged Sister Alison Decades Before She Died, Friend Reveals

Mariah Carey had an estranged relationship with her late sister, Alison Carey, and reportedly hadn’t seen her in decades before she died on August 24.

Alison’s friend David Baker told People on Wednesday, August 28, that the “Hero” singer last saw her sister in “either 1994 or 2002.”

Mariah’s mother, Patricia Carey, died the same day at age 87. However, David claimed that Alison, 63, was unaware of her passing.

The Grammy-winning artist, 55, confirmed the deaths of Alison and Patricia on Monday, August 26.

"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 in a statement to People. "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."

Alison died in her apartment in Coxsackie, New York. David told People that her close circle “saw [her final days] coming, but it’s still a shock.”

“She got ill fairly quickly and a month later, she’s gone,” he revealed to the outlet.

Mariah and Alison’s tumultuous relationship wasn’t a secret, as they both publicly opened up about their upbringing and strained bond. The women didn’t grow up together as Alison lived with their dad, Alfred Carey, and Mariah and their brother, Morgan Carey, lived with their mother after their parents divorced in 1973.

Alison suffered from substance abuse over the years, and the Glitter actress helped her out financially by paying for her to seek treatment in rehab. In 2015, Alison suffered a brain and spine injury after she was attacked during a home invasion.

The assault made headlines after Alison publicly pleaded for Mariah to help her heal as the brain injury resulted in “problematic behavior.” Although the former American Idol judge remained quiet about her sister’s struggle, Morgan, 64, called Mariah out for not using her “power” to help aid Alison.

“Your sister is dying and she is struggling and where are you?” Morgan said during a 2016 interview with The Sun. “You think you are so fabulous, but you are a witch … She is evil.”

Alison’s brain hemorrhage brought her to David after Morgan posted on a Facebook group and asked if there was anybody in Albany, New York, who would visit Alison and check on her well-being.

“I knew when I saw the request that I was the only person anywhere near Albany, New York, so I said, ‘Well, I’m going to go for this.’ They eventually sent me to the hospital and I met Alison,” David recalled to People. “I saw somebody who needed help and I knew I could do it. She’d tell me that she was so glad I was around.”

David also revealed that Alison’s brain injury led to a long-term effect on her memory.

“More recently, before she got sick, if I went somewhere for an hour, she’d call and say, ‘When are you coming back?’” he recalled. “And I’d say, ‘Well, I’ll be there in 20 minutes.’ And then she’d call a second time and say, ‘When are you coming back?’ Because short-term memory was affected by the brain injury.”