Houston, who suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease, passed away at her home in New Jersey on Monday morning.
Cissy Houston, the mother of late R&B and pop icon Whitney Houston, has succeeded her daughter twelve years after her passing.
On Monday (Oct. 7), it was reported that Houston, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, died while under hospice care in her New Jersey home on Monday morning (Octo”. 7). She was 91 years old.
“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We lost the matriarch of our family,” said Houston’s daughter-in-law and film producer, Pat Houston, in a statement, per Associated Press.
“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.”
While a member of R&B and soul quartet the Sweet Inspirations, Houston sang backup and in session recordings for the likes of Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin and Dusty Springfield from the late 1950s to late 1970s. Formerly a member of the group was Houston’s niece, legendary singer Dionne Warwick. Houston was also a solo act, releasing her debut album, Presenting Cissy Houston, in 1970, followed by nine other projects. Houston won two Grammys in the Best Traditional Gospel Album category in 1997 and 1999, for her albums Face to Face and He Leadeth Me, respectively.
Houston was also a music mentor to her daughter, Whitney, also her youngest child, that she welcomed with John Russell Houston Jr. on August 9, 1963. With John, Houston also shared a son, Michael, while Houston also had an eldest son, former NBA player Gary Garland, from a previous relationship.
Whitney Houston died on Feb. 11, 2012, from a drug-related accidental drowning at the Beverly Hilton hotel. Her mother would tribute her in the same year during a 2012 BET Awards performance of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” followed by the release of her 2013 novel, Remembering Whitney.
