Cissy Houston, Mother of Whitney Houston and Grammy-Winning Singer, Dies at 91

Cissy Houston, mother of the late Whitney Houston and iconic gospel singer herself, has died. She was 91 years old.

Houston died at her home in New Jersey on Monday, October 7 while under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease, her daughter-in-law Pat Houston confirmed.

“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We are losing the matriarch of our family,” Pat said in a statement. “Mother Cissy was a strong and tall figure in our lives. A woman of deep faith and conviction, who cared deeply about family, service and community. Her music and entertainment career spanning more than seven decades will remain in our hearts.”

Pat continued, “Her contributions to popular music and culture are unparalleled. We are blessed and grateful that God allowed her to spend so many years with us and we are grateful for all the many valuable life lessons she taught us. May she rest in peace, with her daughter, Whitney and granddaughter Bobbi Kristina and other cherished family members.”

Houston was also the aunt of singers Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick.

Houston began her singing career in 1938 when she joined her sister Anne and two brothers Larry and Nicky in a group called the Drinkard Four.

Whitney Houston’s mom Cissy: ‘I’m angry that she died alone’

In 1963, she formed a group called the Sweet Inspirations with Dee Dee Warwick, her niece. Within a few years, the band was backing vocalists for artists such as Otis Redding, Dusty Springfield and Wilson Pickett. They later worked with The Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1967 and Elvis Presley in 1969.

As a solo artist, Houston released her first solo record, “This Is My Vow” in 1963 — however, her name was spelled “Sissie” Houston on her earlier records. She released her solo debut LP Introducing Cissy Houston 1970 — which included hits like “Be My Baby” and “I’ll Be There.” In 1972, she sang backing vocals on Bette Midler’s debut album.

Houston won two Grammy Awards in her lifetime, in 1996 for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album for Face to face and in 1998 for the album He guides me.

“Cissy had an amazing voice and that carried over to her little baby, Whitney,” Warwick told PEOPLE in February. “Whitney came exactly as we all did, in the church choir. It was just preordained, she was going to sing. Her destiny was the same as the rest of the family. It was as if God pointed his finger at us and said ‘Let those voices work. what they have to.”

“Watching Whitney was like seeing Cissy grow again. The voice; the commitment,” she continued. “Every little girl that came after her wanted to be Whitney Houston.”

Cissy Houston and Whitney Houston.

She also recorded a duet with her daughter Whitney called “I Know Him So Well” in 1987. In 2006 she recorded “Family First” with Dionne and Whitney.

Houston was married to NBA basketball player Gary Garland from 1955 to 1997 and together they have a son, Gary. In 1958, Houston met John Russell Houston, father of Michael and Whitney. The couple legally divorced in 1991 and had six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

In 2013, the star published a memoir called Remembering Whitneywhere she wrote candidly about Whitney’s serious drug problems and the downward spiral that led to her death by drowning in a hotel bathtub with traces of cocaine still in her body in February 2012.

She started partying and didn’t really know how to stop, she wrote. – I used to wonder what he does at night, where he is.

But when she tried to contact her, Whitney often did not return her call.

Whitney was hiding from me, Houston said. And when she saw her, she was often afraid to face her daughter.

She also admitted that she is still troubled by her daughter’s sudden death. “I am angry that she died alone, in such conditions,” he says. “I’m still mad about it.”

Cissy Houston. Whitney Houston’s mother expressed ‘horror’ over claims that the singer was abused by Dee Dee Warwick

Nearly five months after her death, Houston paid tribute to Whitney at the BET Awards by performing “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

She was also a longtime friend of Aretha Franklin, and shared a statement with PEOPLE in 2018 after her death.

“Aretha was a dear friend of mine who will be greatly missed,” the singer said in a statement about the Queen of Soul, who died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 76.

“I’ve known Aretha for over 50 years, both professionally as her backing singer and then as a friend,” added Cissy. “We shared heartbreak, loss, as well as exaltation and great laughter and most importantly our mutual love for God.”

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Source: HIS Education