Cissy Houston, Grammy-winning mother of Whitney Houston, passes away | Entertainment & Arts Update
Cissy Houston, the mother of the late Whitney Houston and a two-time Grammy winner in her own right, has passed away at the age of 91.
Houston, who provided backing vocals for Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley, died on Monday morning surrounded by family in her New Jersey home.
She had been under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease, as confirmed by her daughter-in-law Pat Houston.
“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We lost the matriarch of our family,” Ms Houston said in a statement, acknowledging her mother-in-law’s unparalleled contributions to music and culture.
“Mother Cissy has been a strong and towering figure in our lives… Her more than seven-decade career in music and entertainment will remain at the forefront of our hearts.”
Her passing comes 12 years after her daughter Whitney passed away at the age of 48 due to accidental drowning in a hotel bathtub.
Bobby Kristina Brown, the only child of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, died at the age of 22 from a combination of drowning and drug intoxication.
Houston’s family expressed that she may now “rest in peace alongside her daughter Whitney and granddaughter Bobbi Kristina and other cherished family members”.
Cissy Houston with her daughter Whitney in 2010. Pic: AP
Houston began her music career in the gospel group The Drinkard Four before finding success with the Sweet Inspirations alongside her niece Dee Dee Warwick and Doris Troy.
The group provided backing vocals for various soul artists such as Otis Redding, Lou Rawls, The Drifters, and Dionne Warwick, Houston’s niece.
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She collaborated on Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl and contributed backing vocals for The Jimi Hendrix Experience on the song Burning Of The Midnight Lamp in 1967.
Houston also worked on Franklin’s classic Ain’t No Way in the same year.
Her final performance with the Sweet Inspirations was alongside Presley in a Las Vegas show in 1969.
Cissy Houston performing in 2013. Pic: AP
After her time with the Sweet Inspirations, Houston pursued a solo career and became a sought-after session singer.
She recorded over 600 songs over her career, lending her vocals to tracks by Chaka Khan, Donny Hathaway, Jimi Hendrix, Luther Vandross, Beyonce, Paul Simon, Roberta Flack, and her own daughter.
Houston was honored with Grammys for her albums Face To Face in 1997 and He Leadeth Me the following year in the best traditional soul gospel album category.
