Cissy Houston, a beloved gospel and soul singer and mother of the late legendary Whitney Houston, has died.
She was 91. She reportedly died at the family home in NJ, the Associated Press reports.
The matriarch may have been best known for singing backup for all-time great performers Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding and Elvis Pressley.
“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We [lost] the matriarch of our family,” shared Pat Houston in a statement obtained by the AP. “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.”
Houston had been under hospice care since being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
Houston began her career as a member of the gospel group Drinkard Four. She later formed the Sweet Inspirations with Dee Dee Warwick and Doris Troy, singing backup for Dionne Warwick, Otis Redding, and Dustin Springfield. As a solo musician, she released her debut album, Presenting Cissy Houston, in 1970, followed by a string of records over the years, including her latest, 2012’s Walk on By Faith.
She sang backup for numerous artists on recordings, including Bette Middler’s 1972 debut “The Divine Miss M.,” Franklin’s “Ain’t No Way,” and Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl.”
Houston produced a bevy of entertainers, most prominently her daughter and Hall of Famer Whitney Houston, as well as her nieces Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick. She was also the cousin of opera singer Leontyne Price.
