LOS ANGELES — Cissy Houston, the mother of the late Whitney Houston and a two-time Grammy winner who performed alongside superstar musicians like Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, has died. She was 91 years old.
Houston died Monday morning at her home in New Jersey while under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease, her daughter-in-law Pat Houston told The Associated Press. The acclaimed gospel singer was surrounded by her family.
“Our hearts are full of pain and sadness. We lose the matriarch of our family,” Pat Houston said in a statement. He said his mother-in-law’s contributions to popular music and culture are “incomparable.”
“Mother Cissy has been a strong and imposing figure in our lives. A woman of deep faith and conviction, who cared deeply about family, ministry and community. “His more than seven-decade career in music and entertainment will remain in the forefront of our hearts.”
Houston was in the well-known vocal group Sweet Inspirations, with Doris Troy and her niece Dee Dee Warrick. The group sang backup for a variety of soul singers, including Otis Redding, Lou Rawls, The Drifters and Dionne Warwick.
The Sweet Inspirations appeared on Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and sang backing vocals for The Jimi Hendrix Experience on the song “Burning of the Midnight Lamp” in 1967. That same year, Houston worked on the Franklin classic “Ain’t No Way.” “.
Houston’s final performance with Sweet Inspirations came after the group took the stage with Presley at a Las Vegas show in 1969. Her final recording session with the group became her biggest R.&B hit “(Gotta Find) A Brand New Lover”, a composition by Gamble’s production team & Huff, who appeared on the group’s fifth album, “Sweet Sweet Soul.”
During that time, the group occasionally performed live concerts with Franklin. After the group’s success and four albums together, Houston left The Sweet Inspirations to pursue a solo career where she flourished.
Houston became an in-demand session singer and recorded over 600 songs in multiple genres throughout her career. Her voice can be heard on tracks alongside a wide range of artists, including Chaka Khan, Donny Hathaway, Jimi Hendrix, Luther Vandross, Beyoncé, Paul Simon, Roberta Flack and her daughter.
In 1971, Houston’s distinctive voice appeared on Burt Bacharach’s solo album, which included “Mexican Divorce,” “All Kinds of People” and “One Less Bell to Answer.” She performed several songs, including Barbra Streisand’s hit song, “Evergreen.”
Houston won Grammy Awards for her albums “Face to Face” in 1997 and “He Leadeth Me” the following year in the category of best traditional soul gospel album.
Houston is the author of three books: “He Guides Me,” “How Sweet the Sound: My Life with God and the Gospel,” and “Remembering Whitney: The Story of Life, Loss, and the Night the Music Stopped.” of a mother
In 1938, Cissy Houston began her career when she joined her sister Anne and brothers Larry and Nicky to form the gospel group The Drinkard Four, which recorded one album. She attended New Hope Baptist Church, where she later became Minister of Sacred Music.
Houston was the youngest of eight children.
“We are touched by your generous support and great love during our deep time of grief,” Houston said on behalf of the family. “We respectfully request our privacy during this difficult time.”
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