Cissy Houston – Grammy-Winning Gospel Singer and Whitney Houston’s Mother Passes Away at 91

Cissy Houston, Grammy-Winning Gospel Singer and Whitney Houston’s Mother, Passes Away at 91

Cissy Houston, a celebrated soul and gospel artist and the mother of legendary singer Whitney Houston, has died at the age of 91.

In a statement shared with Entertainment Weekly by the Whitney Houston Estate, it was announced, “With profound sorrow, we confirm the passing of Emily ‘Cissy’ Houston, who transitioned on Monday, October 7, at 10:30 a.m. ET at her home in Newark, New Jersey, while under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease.”

Cissy celebrated her 91st birthday just a week before her passing, on September 30, and was surrounded by family during her final moments. Pat Houston, Cissy’s daughter-in-law and the current executor of the Whitney Houston estate, expressed the family’s grief, stating, “Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness.” She described Cissy as “a strong and towering figure in our lives,” a woman of profound faith and commitment to family, ministry, and community. Pat emphasized that Cissy’s remarkable seven-decade career in music would always be cherished and that her contributions to popular music and culture are unmatched.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced, and the Houston family has requested privacy during this challenging time.

Cissy Houston was the pioneering artist in a family renowned for its musical talent. In addition to her iconic daughter Whitney, she was also the aunt of singers Dee Dee and Dionne Warwick and a cousin to opera legend Leontyne Price.

Born Emily Drinkard in Newark, New Jersey, in 1933, Cissy was the youngest of eight children. She began her professional singing career at the tender age of five, performing with the family gospel group the Drinkard Four, later known as the Drinkard Sisters. She went on to form the Sweet Inspirations group with Dee Dee and Doris Troy, known for providing backing vocals on some of the most memorable albums of the 1960s and ’70s. The Sweet Inspirations collaborated with artists like Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison, and Jimi Hendrix, and Cissy continued to work with a variety of musicians, including Dusty Springfield, Linda Ronstadt, and David Bowie, throughout her distinguished solo career.

Over her lifetime, Houston released ten solo albums from 1970 to 2012 and won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album twice for her works Face to Face and He Leadeth Me. She also contributed to her daughter’s Hollywood career by providing a rendition of “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” for the A Time To Kill soundtrack and participated in the 1978 film The Wiz. Cissy even made an appearance in Whitney’s 1996 film The Preacher’s Wife.

In addition to her singing career, Cissy made significant contributions to her local church community. After joining New Hope Baptist Church in Newark in 1954, she founded the Inspirational Choir and served as its Minister of Music for over 50 years. She also established the Radio Choir, known as the “8am Choir,” which performed at Carnegie Hall alongside the United Negro College Fund Choir in 1974.

Cissy Houston – Grammy-Winning Gospel Singer and Whitney Houston’s Mother Passes Away at 91

Cissy Houston gave birth to her daughter Whitney with John Russell Houston Jr. in 1963. Following Whitney’s tragic passing in 2012, Cissy defended her daughter’s right to privacy against numerous documentaries and biopics that she felt intruded upon her family’s grief. “We cannot reconcile the public’s need to know about Whitney’s life as justification for invasion of her privacy,” she remarked in 2018.

Cissy also mourned the loss of her granddaughter Bobbi Kristina, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 22.

In her statement regarding Cissy’s passing, Pat Houston reflected, “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, granddaughter Bobbi Kristina, and other beloved family members.”

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