The mother of Whitney Houston, Cissy Houston, has died at 91.
Cissy’s daughter-in-law Pat Houston told The Associated Press that the two-time Grammy winner passed away in her New Jersey home on Monday while in hospice care for Alzheimer’s.
“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We loss the matriarch of our family,” Pat said in a statement shared to the outlet. She added that her mother-in-law’s contributions to 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.”
Houston was the youngest of eight children.
She added, “We are touched by your generous support, and your outpouring of love during our profound time of grief. We respectfully request our privacy during this difficult time.”
Pat also took to social media to share a sweet tribute, uploading pictures of Houston throughout the years to Instagram. She captioned her post, “It saddens my heart to announce the passing of my beloved Queen Cissy Houston today! Please keep the Houston family in your prayers.”
The hitmakers death comes twelve years after Whitney died at the age of 48 from an accidental drowning in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.
In the early 60s, Houston was in the widely popular vocal group, The Sweet Inspirations, alongside Doris Troy and her niece Dee Dee Warrick. The group sang backup for a some of the era’s best soul singers including Dionne Warwick, Otis Redding, Lou Rawls, and The Drifters.
In 1967, The Sweet Inspirations sang background vocals for The Jimi Hendrix Experience on the song “Burning of the Midnight Lamp” and Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl.”
That same year, Houston worked on Aretha Franklin’s classic “Ain’t No Way.”
Houston’s last performance alongside Troy and Warrick was they took the stage for Elvis Presley’s 1969 Las Vegas show. She recorded her final tune with the ladies shortly after, with what became one of the biggest R&B hits “(Gotta Find) A Brand New Lover.”
The tune appeared on The Sweet Inspiration’s fifth album, “Sweet Sweet Soul.”
After four albums together, Houston left The Sweet Inspirations to pursue a solo career.
In 1971, Houston’s vocals were featured on Burt Bacharach’s solo album, which includes “Mexican Divorce,” “All Kinds of People” and “One Less Bell to Answer.”
She went on to win Grammys for her albums “Face to Face” in 1997 and “He Leadeth Me”in 1998 for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album.
Houston also wrote three books: “He Leadeth Me,” “How Sweet The Sound: My Life with God and Gospel” and “Remembering Whitney: A Mother’s Story of Life, Loss and The Night The Music Stopped.”
The Associated Press broke the news of her passing on Monday, Oct. 7.
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