Mariah Carey's mother and sister died on the same day in a "tragic turn of events", the pop superstar has told US media.

The Grammy Award-winning singer said in a statement to People magazine that her "heart is broken" following the deaths of mum Patricia and sibling Alison.

Their causes of death are not yet known, according to the celebrity news website.

Carey, 55, said in a statement: "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.

"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."

Patricia, a former opera singer and vocal coach, was 87 years old while Alison was 63, according to a Mariah Carey fan website.

Carey detailed her complicated relationship with her mother in her 2020 memoir "The Meaning Of Mariah Carey".

She wrote: "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."

Carey also 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."

Carey did maintain a relationship with her mother, recording a festive duet of O Come All Ye Faithful and Hallelujah Chorus in 2010.

She dedicated her memoir in part to her mother, writing: "And to Pat, my mother, who, through it all, I do believe did the best she could. I will love you the best I can, always."

Meanwhile, Alison sued Carey in February 2021 over remarks she made in the memoir.

The singer wrote in the book that when she was 12 years old, Alison, then 20, put her at risk of being pimped out.

Alison's lawsuit said she disputes the accusations in the book and contends her sister "presented no evidence to substantiate these serious allegations".

Carey has an older brother named Morgan but her father Alfred died of cancer in 2002.