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Mariah Carey is struggling with a huge loss after both her mother, Patricia Carey, and her estranged sister, Alison Carey, passed away on the same day this past weekend.

Carey, 55, shared her grief with PEOPLE on Monday, August 26, saying, “I am heartbroken to have lost my mother this past weekend. Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day.”

Despite the tense and complicated dynamics within her family, the iconic singer expressed gratitude for being able to spend time with her mother, who was 87, in her final days – though she did not reveal the reason behind her passing.

“I feel blessed to have been able to spend this last week with my mom before she passed,” she told the source, adding, “I appreciate everyone’s love, support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time.” Details about Alison’s cause of death have also not been released at this time.

In her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Careythe singer delved into the multifaceted relationship she shared with her mother, describing it as a “twisting rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration and disappointment.” The “Fantasy” singer acknowledged that their bond was full of contradictions. “It’s never just been black and white — it’s been a whole rainbow of emotions,” she wrote.

The complexities haven’t completely destroyed their relationship, though. Carey and her mother performed a touching mother-daughter duet on ABC’s Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to You special in 2010. Mariah also dedicated a section of her memoir to her mother, writing, “And to Pat, my mother, who, despite everything, I think, actually did the best she could.”

Carey’s relationship with her sister Alison was equally strained, as she detailed in her memoir that it was “emotionally and physically safer” for her to distance herself from both Alison and her brother Morgan. Alison was 62 when she died.