Cissy Houston, the Grammy-winning singer and mother of Whitney Houston, has died at the age of 91, according to Gwendolyn Quinn, a representative for The Estate of Whitney E. Houston. She passed away Monday at 10:30 a.m. ET while in hospice care, surrounded by family. Houston had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We lost the matriarch of our family,” her daughter-in-law Pat Houston said. “Mother Cissy has been a strong and towering figure in our lives. A woman of deep faith and conviction, who cared greatly about family, ministry, and community. Her more than seven-decade career in music and entertainment will remain at the forefront of our hearts.”
Pat Houston added, “Her contributions to popular music and culture are unparalleled.”
Born Emily Drinkard, Cissy Houston was the youngest of eight children of the late Nitcholas and Delia Mae Drinkard. She attended Newark Public Schools and New Hope Baptist Church, where she later became Minister of Sacred Music.
Houston began her singing career at age five in the gospel group The Drinkard Four, alongside her sister Anne and brothers Larry and Nicky. The group eventually evolved into The Drinkard Singers, later including her sisters Lee and Marie and featuring future stars Dee Dee Warwick and Dionne Warwick, her nieces.
They performed at Carnegie Hall and the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957 and recorded their first live gospel album, “A Joyful Noise,” in New York City, which was released by RCA Records in 1959.
In 1963, Cissy Houston formed the original lineup of The Sweet Inspirations, which provided background vocals for artists like Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, and Otis Redding. She released her first solo LP, “Presenting Cissy Houston,” in 1969.
A two-time Grammy Award winner, Houston recorded ten solo albums, four compilation albums, and five collaborative recordings throughout her successful career. As a sought-after backup vocalist, she worked with a diverse range of artists, including Bette Midler, Beyoncé, David Bowie, and her late daughter Whitney.
Whitney Houston died in 2012 at the age of 48. Cissy Houston published a memoir in 2013 titled “Remember Whitney: My Story of Love, Loss, and the Night the Music Stopped.” During an appearance on “The View,” she spoke of her daughter’s true character, describing Whitney as a “wonderful, giving, loving kid.”
Cissy Houston is survived by her sons Gary and Michael, several grandchildren, and her late granddaughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, who died at 22 in 2015.
In a statement on Monday, Pat Houston expressed gratitude for the time spent with Cissy. “We are blessed and grateful that God allowed her to spend so many years with us,” she said. “May she rest in peace, alongside her daughter, Whitney, and granddaughter Bobbi Kristina, and other cherished family members.”
