Alison Carey

Alison Carey
General information
Birth name	Alison Ann Carey
Born	August 7, 1961 Huntington, Long Island, New York, U.S.A.
Died	August 24, 2024 (age 63) Coxsackie, New York, U.S.A.
Gender	Female
Occupation	Client

Alison Ann Carey (previously: Alison Ann McDonald & Alison Ann Scott; August 7, 1961 - August 24, 2024) was Mariah's sister.

Biography

Alison grew up in Long Island with Mariah. After the separation of her parents, Alison then 11, went to live with her father while Mariah continued living with her mother. At age 15, Alison married Richard McDonald and became pregnant. In 1977, her son Shawn was born and she dropped out of high school. She then was unemployed and claimed that she experienced difficulties finding a job because of inexperience. She then turned to the streets for money and subsequently became a sex worker. In 1980, Alison and McDonald got divorced. In 1985, Alison wed again to Dale Scott and her second son, Michael who was born in 1987. In 1988, she tested positive for HIV and in 1989 she divorced Scott. Mariah dedicated her debut album to Alison in the summer of 1990 when Mariah was 21 and Alison was almost 29. Alison believed that this was just to make Mariah look like a "good sister" and stated "I'm sorry I just think that that's kind of.. beneath contempt". In 1994, Alison's mother came to pick up Michael for a weekend visit, but she ended up taking him because of Alison's history of illegal drug use. Before the custody trial scheduled to begin in March 1995, temporary custody was given to Patricia and Alison failed to show up to one of the hearings, she stated that it was because she was sick. According to sources, Mariah had paid several times to have Alison placed into rehab, but it is unaware if any progress had been made. By 2002, Alison had 2 more children. Additionally, following the death of her father, Alfred Carey, Alison inherited $1 million dollars. According to a family friend, "When she got the money, she would spend a week and a half living at the St. Regis, racking up $15,000 tabs." The friend added, "It was very painful for the entire family to see her burn through what Alfred had worked his whole life for. He had wanted Alison to be taken care of." Unfortunately, as the same friend noted, Alison eventually returned to her old "habits" "around the time the money ran out."

In 2012 it was reported that she was diagnosed with liver cancer.

In 2015, Alison was the victim of a home invasion when an intruder struck her in the head with a baseball bat. As a result, suffered a brain injury and short-term memory loss and was hospitalized for several weeks.

In March 2016, Alison appeared in a video published by Dailymail.com, where she pleaded for financial help from Mariah following the 2015 attack that left her injured. In the video she stated, 'Mariah, I love you. I desperately need your help. Please don’t abandon me like this.'

Alison was arrested multiple times between 2015 and 2016 for prostitution. She was arrested twice within a 10-week span, including an incident on June 13, 2015, when she was taken into custody in Suffolk County, New York, after soliciting an undercover police officer at a boat marina, according to The Post. Alison was arrested again in August 2016 in upstate New York, also in connection with prostitution. Authorities told The Daily Freeman that during this incident, Alison attempted to solicit money for sexual acts from an undercover officer at a hotel. Law enforcement described her as a "transient" who had been advertising sexual services online. During her arrest, Alison informed the officers that she was Mariah Carey's sister.

One of Alison's online ads, as reported by The Daily Freeman, referenced lyrics from Mariah's 1995 single "Fantasy." The ad read, "I'm a pretty lady looking for guys who are looking to have some fun and get into a world of pleasure that other women just can't provide for you, a woman with the ability to make the earth move for you and to get you to see stars. Oh yeah, with me it's, 'IT'S SUCH A SWEET, SWEET FANTASY BABY, WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES I COME AND TAKE YOU ON AND ON.'"

In 2018 it was reported by The Sun, that Alison currently lived in Kingston, NY. At that time she stated that she had been clean for about 3 years. In 2020, Alison faced difficulties restoring her Social Security benefits after they were mistakenly reduced to $30 a month by the Social Security Administration (SSA). Previously, she had been receiving $794 USD a month in Supplemental Security Income. The issue arose after she received a letter dated July 20, 2020, stating that she had been overpaid by thousands of dollars during a three-month period when she was allegedly in a "medical facility." To recoup the overpayment, the SSA drastically cut her monthly payments. However, David Baker, a spokesperson and friend, clarified that Carey was only in the facility for about one month. After that, she had been renting an apartment in Greene County, New York. Carey reached out to the SSA’s office in Hudson multiple times and also sought assistance from U.S. Senator Charles Schumer’s office. A staff member from Schumer’s office helped facilitate communication with the SSA, allowing Carey to provide proof that she was living in an apartment, not in a medical facility. Eventually, the SSA acknowledged its mistake, restored her monthly payments, and issued an additional back payment of $684 USD.

In November 2023, Alison shared a video on social media discussing her current living conditions. She explained that it's "almost impossible" to manage her day-to-day life due to her situation. In the video, she said, "I'm Alison Carey, and unfortunately, I'm living without teeth. I haven't been able to replace them. I wish I could, but I just don't have the money, so this is where I stand. It's almost impossible to get things done without teeth. That's all I really have to say."

Relationship with Mariah & Lawsuit

Mariah and Alison were estranged for years, with some sources claiming they hadn't spoken since 1994. In 2002, it was reported that Mariah wanted to reconcile with Alison, after the death of their father, believing it was important to bring something positive out of a difficult situation. However, it is unknown if they ever reconciled.

In 2020, during an appearance on The Oprah Conversation to promote her memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey, Mariah referred to Alison as her "ex-sister" and described her as "troubled" and "traumatized."

On February 1, 2021, Alison filed a $1.25 million lawsuit against Mariah in state Supreme Court in Manhattan, New York, alleging defamation in Mariah's memoir. The allegations were included in a summons with notice filed by Alison. In the book, Mariah claimed that Alison had drugged her at the age of 12, given her third-degree burns, and attempted to recruit her into sex work for a pimp. Alison argued that Mariah made these statements knowing that she had been "profoundly and permanently damaged" due to their mother's actions. Alison claimed that, as a pre-teen, she was forced by their mother to attend terrifying late-night satanic worship meetings that included ritual sacrifices. She also confirmed that she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression, for which she sought professional therapy to cope with the traumatic experiences. A couple of weeks after the lawsuit was filed, Mariah demanded that her sister submit an actual complaint that she could respond to. However, the court docket shows that there was no movement in the case following Mariah's request.

Alison further stated that she had been dealing with multiple health issues, including the deterioration of her lower spine and a digestive disorder. She claimed that Mariah's public accusations had worsened her condition, leading to severe depression and a relapse into alcohol abuse after years of sobriety. In the lawsuit, Alison demanded compensation for what she described as Mariah's "heartless, vicious, vindictive, despicable, and totally unnecessary public humiliation."

Similarly, their brother, Morgan Carey, also filed a lawsuit against Mariah regarding claims made in the memoir.

Death

On August 24, 2024, Alison passed away, which was confirmed by Mariah, in an exclusive interview with People Magazine. Mariah also revealed that their mother, Patricia, tragically passed away on the same day. In her statement, Mariah expressed her deep sorrow, saying, "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." Despite the devastating loss, Mariah shared that she felt blessed to have spent time with their mother before her passing and expressed gratitude for the outpouring of love and support during this difficult time.

Alison's exact cause of death is unknown at this time. However, according to The Times Union, her friend and advocate, David Baker, stated that her death was related to organ function issues, and she had been in hospice care before her passing. Before she died, Alison's children were able to spend time with her. According to Baker, who had known Alison for nine years, it was the first time some of her children had seen their mother in years.

Trivia

• Alison's Irish-American on Patricia's side and African-American & Venezuelan-American on Alfred's side.
• In an interview on "The Oprah Conversation" Mariah described Alison as "troubled" and "traumatized."
• Mariah refers to her as her "ex-sister" in her memoir and on "The Oprah Conversation"
• Alison's full name in Venezuela is Alison Ann Carey Hickey.
• Alison was 8 when Mariah was born.
• Alison was 11 when Patricia & Alfred got divorced.
• Alison was already 15 when she married Richard in 1976 and became pregnant by him.
• Alison was 15 when she gave birth to Shawn on May 23, 1977.
• Alison was 23 or 24 when she married Dale in 1985.
• Alison tested positive for HIV in 1988 when she was 27.
• Alison was 25 or 26 when she gave birth to Michael in 1987.
• Alison is estranged from her family
• Alison attended Mariah's wedding to Tommy Mottola in 1993.
• It was reported that by 2002, when Alfred Carey got sick, the family wanted nothing to do with Alison – who by then had had two more children, a daughter, 4, and son, 6.
• The chapter in her where Mariah talks about Alison is titled "Dandelion Tea."
• Alison hasn't spoken to Mariah since 1994