Mariah Carey has resumed work following the recent loss of her mother and sister. On Sunday, September 8, the singer, 55, shared a video post on Instagram featuring herself rehearsing ahead of her upcoming shows in China and Brazil. In the footage, Carey crooned a slow version of her 2005 track It’s Like That before telling her fans she’ll see them in the earlier-mentioned Asian country.
In the caption of the upload, she wrote that she was “back at work,” while expressing her gratitude to fans for their much-appreciated support during her testing time.
“It’s been a couple of rough weeks, but I appreciate everyone’s love and support so much, and I can’t wait to see my fans in China and Brazil,” she wrote, before signing off the message with “Love you!” alongside three red heart emojis.
Carey confirmed the demise of her mother, Patricia, and sister, Alison, to People on August 27. She told the publication that she lost both family members the previous weekend.
“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,” the Grammy winner told the outlet at the time. The singer noted that she felt blessed to have spent the last week with her mother before her passing. “I appreciated everyone’s love, support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time,” she added.
According to the aforementioned publication, Carey’s sister Alison experienced a tough life before she died in her New York home. “We saw it coming, but it’s still a shock,” David Baker, a patient advocate who knew Alison personally, told People, adding, “She got ill fairly quickly and a month later, she’s gone.”
For the unversed, Carey was estranged from her family for many years before Patricia and Alison’s deaths. She detailed in her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, that for the sake of her sanity and peace of mind, her therapist encouraged her to rename and reframe her family. Taking the advice, Mariah wrote in her book that she named her mother Pat. Her brother and sister, Morgan and Alison, became her ex-brother and ex-sister, respectively.
“I had to stop expecting them to one day miraculously become the mommy, big brother, and big sister I fantasized about,” the singer expressed in her book.
Back to the present, on the work front, in addition to the aforementioned concerts, Carey also has a Christmas tour scheduled, titled Mariah Carey’s Christmas Time. The gig kicks off in Highland, California, on November 6 and will end on December 17 in Brooklyn, New York.
The singer’s All I Want for Christmas Is You is a quintessential Christmas tune. It topped Billboard’s Hot 100 for two consecutive weeks during the holiday season last year. For Carey, it’s no surprise that Christmastime is the prime season for business.
