Sissy Houstonan award-winning singer who took the Gospel world by storm, has died. Sissy Houston was the mother of the late singer Whitney Houston and the late grandmother Bobbi Kristina Brown.
In a statement from the family estate, in the words of Cissy Houston's daughter-in-law, Pat Houston, the details of Ms. Houston's death were shared with the public:
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Emily “Cissy” Houston, who passed today, Monday, October 7th at 10:30 am. ET, at her home in Newark, New Jersey, while in hospice care for Alzheimer's disease. . Houston, who recently turned 91 on September 30, 2024, was surrounded by her family.
“Our hearts are full of pain and sorrow. We're losing the matriarch of our family,” says Pat Houston, Sissy Houston's daughter-in-law. “Mother Sissy has been a strong and towering figure in our lives. A woman of deep faith and conviction, who cared deeply about family, ministry and community. Her career spanning over seven decades in music and entertainment will remain at the forefront of our hearts. Her contribution to popular music and culture is unparalleled. We are blessed and grateful that God allowed her to spend so many years with us and we are grateful for all the many valuable life lessons she taught us. May she rest in peace with her daughter Whitney and granddaughter Bobbi Kristina and other loving family members.”
Cissy Houston was born Emily Drinkard on September 30, 1933, in Newark, NJ. Her singing career began early as a member of the Gospel singing group, the Drinkard Four, which consisted of herself, sister Anne, and brothers Larry and Nicky Houston. Houston had an older sister, Lee, who would later become the mother of singers Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick.
Among Houston's many accomplishments in both the worlds of secular and gospel music was her work as a member of the band The Sweet Inspirations with Doris Troy and her niece, Dee Dee Warwick. The group sang background for several artists such as Otis Redding, Lou Rawls, Wilson Pickett and Dionne Warwick among others. Houston gave birth to her daughter Whitney in 1963, which led to her eventually changing the focus of her career after appearing with the group as a backing singer for Elvis Presley. Houston also won two Grammy Awards for Best Traditional Gospel Album, the first for her album Face to face in 1997 and the second for He drives me in 1999.
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Photo: Getty
