Whitney Houston's Grammy-winning mother Cissy Houston dies, aged 91
7 October 2024, 22:38 | Updated: 8 October 2024, 09:00
Singer Cissy Houston, the mother of the late icon Whitney Houston, has died at the age of 91.
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Cissy Houston passed away on the morning of Monday (October 7), 12 years after the tragic loss of Whitney, who died in 2012 aged 48.
She died at her home in New Jersey while under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease, her daughter-in-law Pat Houston confirmed to The Associated Press.
“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We’ve lost the matriarch of our family,” Pat shared in a statement.
“Mother Cissy has been a strong and towering figure in our lives. A woman of deep faith and conviction, who cared deeply about family, ministry, and community. Her more than seven-decade career in music and entertainment will always be at the forefront of our hearts.”
Born Emily Drinkard in 1933 in Newark, New Jersey, Houston began her singing career in 1938 at just five years old, when she and her siblings Anne, Larry, and Nicky formed the gospel group The Drinkard Four.
Later, Anne Drinkard Moss, Marie Drinkard Epps, and Lee Warwick, the mother of singers Dionne Warwick and Delia Juanita “Dee Dee” Warwick, joined the group, which was then renamed The Drinkard Singers.
In 1958, the group recorded a live album, A Joyful Noise, becoming one of the first gospel groups to release music with a major label.
In 1963, just before giving birth to Whitney, Houston formed the Sweet Inspirations with R&B singer Doris Troy and her niece Dee Dee. Together, they provided backup vocals for numerous iconic artists, including Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Dusty Springfield, Otis Redding, and Houston’s niece Dionne.
'Me and You Against the World' (HD) - Whitney Houston & Cissy Houston - Mother/Daughter Duet
After years of singing backup, Houston launched a solo career in 1970, releasing several studio albums, including her Grammy-winning soul gospel albums Face To Face (1996) and He Leadeth Me (1997).
Houston was also an author, having written three books, including 2013's Remembering Whitney: A Mother’s Story of Life, Loss and The Night The Music Stopped.
