Cissy Houston – legendary singer and mother of Whitney Houston – dies, aged 91
The Grammy-winning singer was known for collaborations with megastars including Elvis Presley.
Cissy Houston – the Grammy-winning singer and mother of the late icon Whitney Houston – has died at the age of 91, her family has confirmed.
Cissy, who was known for collaborations with stars including Elvis Presley, died on Monday (7th October) at her New Jersey home while receiving hospice care for Alzheimer's disease, her daughter-in-law Pat Houston told The Associated Press.
“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We loss the matriarch of our family,” Pat said in a statement.
“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.”
Cissy’s death comes 12 years after the tragic passing of Whitney, who died aged 48 in 2012 from accidental drowning in a hotel bathtub.
Born Emily Drinkard in 1933 in Newark, New Jersey, Cissy began her decades-long career in the gospel singing group The Drinkard Four, but it was forming the Sweet Inspiration alongside her niece Dee Dee Warwick and Doris Troy that really launched her to stardom.
The group sang backing vocals for several major artists including Elvis Presley, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Dusty Springfield and Cissy’s other niece Dionne.
Cissy left the group to pursue a solo career in 1970 and released multiple studio albums, including her Grammy-winning albums Face to Face (1996) and He Leadeth Me (1997).
In an interview with Jet Magazine in 1988, she reflected on finding success in her later years.
“A lot of the things I’ve done have come late in life, and it’s like a whole new career starting up,” she said. “I don’t have regrets about the way I planned and lived my life, and I am very proud of what I’ve become.”
She also wrote three books: He Leadeth Me (1997), How Sweet the Sound: My Life with God and Gospel (1998) and Remembering Whitney: A Mother’s Story of Life, Loss and the Night the Music Stopped (2013).
Cissy, a mother of three, was supportive of her daughter Whitney's career and even appeared in her videos for I’m Every Woman and Greatest Love of All.
Authors
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
