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Who Are Mariah Carey's Parents? All You Need To Know About Legendary Singer's Parents Alfred Roy and Patricia
Mariah Carey's familial tensions and her relationship with her parents Alfred Roy Carey and Patricia Carey was brought in the limelight in recent years. Let's know about the legendary singer's parents!
TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains references to racial discrimination and death.
Mariah Carey has been a legendary singer since the early 1990s, when her unwavering voice and incredible range swept the world by storm. connection with her parents has come under limelight in recent years, despite the fact that she has garnered a lot of media attention over the years for both her music and romances.
Mariah Carey has gone through many highs and lows with her parents, Patricia and Alfred Roy Carey. In her honest memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, published in 2020, the Grammy winner discussed her complex relationship with her family. The book went in-depth on her childhood, her memories of significant neglect, and her difficulty accepting her mixed-race status. Let's learn more about Mariah Carey's parents Patricia and Alfred Roy Carey!
Who Are Mariah Carey's Parents?
Carey was born in Huntington, New York, on March 27, 1969, the youngest of three children. Alfred, Mariah's father, was an African American and Afro Venezuelan descent aeronautical engineer. Mariah's paternal grandpa, who was an immigrant, changed his surname from Nuñez to Carey to sound more American/Eurocentric in order to avoid discrimination.
Patricia and her own mother had a severe falling out because of the couple's interracial marriage. The family experienced problems in their area as well; Patricia revealed in a 1999 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show that they were the focus of violent attacks and racial discrimination.
Patricia put her profession on hold after meeting Alfred in order to raise a family. She first welcomed daughter Alison Carey and then son Morgan Carey before giving birth to Mariah. When the singer was three years old, her parents split. She moved in with her mother while her siblings, Alison and Morgan, continued to live with their father. After the split, Mariah and her father didn't communicate much.
The singer remembered her early years with Patricia in her memoir, stating that their relationship had caused her so much pain and confusion. The father-daughter duo reconnected before Alfred's death on July 4, 2002, as he passed away from a rare kind of cancer.
Mariah has a complicated relationship with her mother
Mariah writes in her memoir that her turbulent relationship with her mother, Patricia, began when she was very young and has been the cause of a cloud of sadness ever since. In her memoir, Patricia described the tense connection that eventually developed between them.
Patricia greatly inspired Mariah's love of music because she was a former opera soprano and voice coach. That became troublesome, though, as Mariah's career grew and surpassed her mother's by a factor of ten.
The Billboard Music Award winner said of their complex relationship saying, "Our relationship is a prickly rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration, and disappointment."
Alfred was in the military
On October 23, 1929, Alfred was born in New York City. In her memoir, Mariah stated that he grew up in a challenging atmosphere and aspired to privileges and freedoms that his own parents had not been granted. Mariah said her father was very disciplined which is why he enlisted in the military.
Patricia was disowned by her family
In her memoir, Mariah explored Patricia's complex relationship with her own mother, Ann Hickey, to better understand her relationship with her mother. Ann disowned Patricia in 1960 when she married Alfred and began a relationship with a Black guy.
In 1999, Patricia said on The Oprah Winfrey Show that Ann had given her the order to lie about her marriage because she rarely saw her mother and other family members.
Mariah grew up spending weekends with Alfred
Alfred relocated to Brooklyn Heights after serving in the military and getting divorced from Patricia. He was somewhat of a hipster, as Mariah described him in her memoir. But as Mariah's career took off, she found it harder and harder to see her father every week.
Mariah and Patricia dueted on a holiday album
Patricia and Mariah sang together at a major event: During Mariah's ABC special Mariah Carey: Christmas in 2010, Patricia joined the Queen of Christmas onstage for a joyous mother-daughter duet.
They sang O Come All Ye Faithful/Hallelujah Chorus, a song they recorded for Mariah's holiday album, accompanied by a gospel choir. Patricia performed a high note rendition while showcasing her vocal range.
Alfred died of cancer in 2002
Alfred passed away on July 4, 2002, after developing a rare kind of bile duct cancer. In the years that have passed, Mariah has paid respect to his memory in many ways.
Shortly after his passing, she wrote a moving song for her album Charmbracelet in his honor. Mariah sings in Sunflowers for Alfred Roy on their relationship finding forgiveness and peace.
Mariah's childhood inspired her 2022 kids' book The Christmas Princess
Mariah published The Christmas Princess, her debut children's book, in 2022. The picture book is about 12-year-old Little Mariah, who, according to the book's synopsis, doesn't have much and doesn't want a lot" except for a peaceful and joyous holiday season.
Similar to the main character, Mariah encountered difficult but worthwhile life lessons when she was twelve years old. La Diva is the name of Little Mariah's mother as well.
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