Mariah Carey paid tribute to her late mom, Patricia Carey, in her 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards acceptance speech after receiving the Icon Award. Carey stuck to her signature wittiness and extraordinary charm while receiving the honor at the awards ceremony on Monday. Host LL Cool J presented her with the award when she took the stage with glamor and attractiveness to captivate the audience. The artist then concluded the speech on an emotional note by honoring and thanking her mother.
Mariah Carey honors late mom in iHeartRadio Awards speech
It was high time Mariah Carey accepted the 2025 Icon Award at Monday’s iHeartRadio Music Awards, but she also left the audience emotional with a heartfelt shoutout to her late mom. She honored and thanked her mother, Patricia Carey, for giving her “the gift of music” as it also marked St. Patrick’s Day.
The “All I Want for Christmas Is You” hitmaker’s brief tribute to her late mom, who died last August on the same day as the musician’s sister Alison, concluded her acceptance speech. This came shortly after she thanked her fans, the “lambily,” for being with her “through every step of this journey.” In addition, Carey expressed her endless gratitude to her faithful fans for their “love and loyalty,” calling them the “greatest gift.”
Before that, Mariah Carey extended thanks to iHeartRadio for the “incredible honor” of the 2025 Icon Award. In her speech, she also shared a recollection of her as a kid listening to her “favorite artist on the radio” and dreaming of “being on the airwaves myself.” Carey then admitted to getting excited even now every time she hears one of her songs playing on the radio. “It never stops being magical,” she remarked before extending her heartfelt gratitude to those who believed in her from the start.
Besides being an award-winning singer, Carey is a loving mom of two kids, twins Monroe Cannon and Moroccan Cannon. She shares both her children with her ex-husband, Nick Cannon.
Originally reported by Nikita Mahato on Momtastic.
