Current:Home > MyCissy Houston, Mom of Whitney Houston, Dead at 91 -MoneyStream
Cissy Houston, Mom of Whitney Houston, Dead at 91
View
Date:2025-04-16 14:34:12
The music world is mourning a tragic loss.
Cissy Houston—the mother of the late Whitney Houston and a Grammy-award winning singer—has died, her family confirmed to the Associated Press Oct. 7. She was 91.
Cissy passed away in her New Jersey home on Oct. 7 while under hospice care for Alzheimer's disease—a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behavior—the outlet reported.
“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness,” her daughter-in-law Pat Houston shared in an Oct. 7 statement to the Associated Press. "We lost the matriarch of our family."
Noting that her mother-in-law's contributions to music were "unparalleled," Pat went on to describe Cissy as a "strong and towering figure in our lives."
"A woman of deep faith and conviction, who cared greatly about family, ministry, and community," she continued. "Her more than seven-decade career in music and entertainment will remain at the forefront of our hearts.”
Cissy rose to fame in the 1960s as one-third of the R&B girl group The Sweet Inspirations, which also comprised Doris Troy and her niece Dee Dee Warwick. The trio earned acclaim for their work as backup singers for artists such as Otis Redding, Dee Dee's sister Dionne Warwick, Van Morrison and Elvis Presley.
Over the course of her decades-long career, Cissy also made an impact as a solo artist. As a session singer, the New Jersey native has recorded over 600 songs across multiple genres. Plus, she won two Grammy awards in the Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album category for her solo records Face to Face (1997) and He Leadeth Me (1998).
And Cissy—who authored the 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—has been candid about how her spirituality has kept her going over the years. In fact, she shared that her faith was how she coped with the 2012 death of her daughter Whitney.
"I believe totally in God," she said during a 2013 book signing, per USA Today. "I know with every ounce in me he loved her and she loved him, and I love him."
Cissy is survived by her son Michael Houston, who she shares with ex-husband John Russell Houston, and son Gary Garland, who she shares with ex-husband Freddie Garland, as well as granddaughter Rayah Houston and niece Dionne.
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (44577)
Related
- Sam Taylor
- 'Love Island UK' stars Molly-Mae Hague, Tommy Fury announce split after 5 years
- Red Cross blood inventory plummets 25% in July, impacted by heat and record low donations
- 51 Must-Try Stress Relief & Self-Care Products for National Relaxation Day (& National Wellness Month)
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- Matthew Perry Investigation: At Least One Arrest Made in Connection to Actor's Death
- A 1-year-old Virginia girl abducted by father is dead after they crashed in Maryland, police say
- Gena Rowlands, Hollywood legend and 'The Notebook' actor, dies at 94
- Bodycam footage shows high
- NBA schedule released. Among highlights: Celtics-Knicks on ring night, Durant going back to school
Ranking
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Sofía Vergara reveals why she wanted to hide her curvy figure for 'Griselda' role
- Pro-Palestinian protesters who blocked road near Sea-Tac Airport to have charges dropped
- J.J. McCarthy's season-ending injury is a setback, but Vikings might find upside
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- The president of Columbia University has resigned, effective immediately
- Judge tells Google to brace for shakeup of Android app store as punishment for running a monopoly
- See Travis Kelce Make His Acting Debut in Terrifying Grotesquerie Teaser
Recommendation
FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
Georgia mayor faces felony charges after investigators say he stashed alcohol in ditch for prisoners
NBA schedule released. Among highlights: Celtics-Knicks on ring night, Durant going back to school
'It Ends With Us' shows some realities of domestic violence. Here's what it got wrong.
What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
What Conservation Coalitions Have Learned from an Aspen Tree
Violent crime is rapidly declining. See which cities are seeing drops in homicides.
A fiery Texas politician launched a legal assault on Google and Meta. And he's winning.