Cissy Houston, a singer and the mother of late soul icon Whitney Houston, has passed away aged 91.
Houston died Monday at her home in New Jersey while receiving hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease, her family said.
A Grammy Award-winning singer known for collaborations with megastars including Elvis Presley, her death comes 12 years after Whitney drowned in a Beverly Hills hotel bathtub aged just 48.
Cissy Houston, left, has died aged 91. She’s pictured with daughter Whitney in 2010, two years before Whitney drowned in a bathtub aged just 48
Cissy was a Grammy Award-winning singer known for collaborations with megastars including Elvis Presley
Cissy’s daughter-in-law Pat Houston told the Associated Press that the songstress died surrounded by her family.
‘Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We loss the matriarch of our family,’ she said in a statement announcing the 91-year-old’s death.
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.’
Before her daughter shot to stardom, Cissy was best known for her work with the vocal group Sweet Inspirations, which sung backup tracks for soul legends including Otis Redding and Lou Rawls.
She won her first Grammy in 1997 for her album ‘Face to Face’, before winning her second for best traditional soul gospel album the following year with ‘He Leadeth Me.’
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