Cissy Houston, a prominent figure in the music industry and mother of the legendary Whitney Houston, has passed away at the age of 91. Her death marks the end of a remarkable career that spanned over seven decades, during which she made significant contributions to gospel and popular music . Cissy was not only a celebrated solo artist but also an integral part of vocal groups such as The Drinkard Four and The Sweet Inspirations, providing backup vocals for iconic artists like Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin.
Cissy Houston died Monday morning in her New Jersey home while under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease, her daughter-in-law Pat Houston told The Associated Press. The acclaimed gospel singer was surrounded by her family.
“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We loss the matriarch of our family,” Pat Houston said in a statement. She said her mother-in-law’s contributions to popular music and culture are “unparalleled.”
“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.”
In 1938, when she was five years old, Houston began her singing career, when she joined her sister Anne and brothers Larry and Nicky in the gospel group, The Drinkard Four, the biography stated.
Anne Drinkard left the group and was replaced by Lee’s adopted daughter Judy Clay.
Throughout the life of the group, the members included future stars Dee Dee Warwick and Dionne Warwick, Houston’s nieces.
Carnegie Hall and the Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island in 1957 and recorded their first live gospel album, “A Joyful Noise,” at Webster Hall in New York City. It was released in 1959 on RCA Records, marking one of the first times a gospel group released an album on a major record label.
At the age of 80, Houston sang once again with Aretha Franklin during her performance on The Late Show with David Letterman, where they performed a cover of Adele’s Rolling in the Deep.
Her daughter-in-law, Pat, said that Houston’s “more than seven-decade career in music and entertainment will remain at the forefront of our hearts”.
She added that the family is “blessed and grateful that God allowed her to spend so many years with us”.
“May she rest in peace, alongside her daughter, Whitney and granddaughter Bobbi Kristina and other cherished family members.”
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