Cissy Houston, Whitney's mother and gospel legend, dies aged 91

8 October 2024, 09:12 | Updated: 8 October 2024, 09:19

Cissy Houston was a famed singer in her own right.

Cissy Houston, gospel singer and mother of pop superstar Whitney, has died at the age of 91.

Her family confirmed that she died at her New Jersey home yesterday (October 7), where she was under hospice care for Alzheimer's disease.

• When Whitney Houston sang the national anthem so powerfully she moved a nation to tears
• Remember when George Michael and Whitney Houston came together for a soul-stirring duet?
• Listen to the Smooth Soul Live Playlist on Global Player, the home of Gold

“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We lost the matriarch of our family," said her daughter-in-law Pat Houston in a statement to People.

"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."

She added: "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 thankful for all the many valuable life lessons that she taught us.

"May she rest in peace, alongside her daughter, Whitney and granddaughter Bobbi Kristina and other cherished family members."

Whitney Houston - I Know Him So Well (from "Chess")

As well as being Whitney Houston's mother, Cissy was also an aunt of Dionne Warwick.

Born Emily Drinkard in 1933, Cissy started singing at an incredibly young age, joining her sister Anne and two brothers Larry and Nicky in a group called the Drinkard Four in 1938.

They were later renamed The Drinkard Singers and also included Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick in their lineup.

Cissy and her niece Dee Dee formed The Sweet Inspirations in 1963 and backed singers including Otis Redding, Dusty Springfield and Wilson Pickett, later working with Elvis Presley and The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Not just a backing singer, Cissy released her own solo single 'This is My Vow' in 1963 and her debut album Presenting Cissy Houston in 1970.

Cissy collaborated with her daughter Whitney on 'I Know Him So Well' in 1986, and with both Whitney and Dionne Warwick on 'Family First' in 2006.

She won Grammys for her Face to Face album in 1996 and He Leadeth Me two years later.

Her daughter Whitney tragically died on February 11, 2012, having been found drowned in a bathtub under the influence of several drugs.