Whitney Houston’s Mother, Who Led Her to Superstardom, Dies

Two-time Grammy winner Cissy Houston, the mother of pop icon Whitney Houston and a powerhouse vocalist in her own right, has died at age 91, her family said.

Houston died Monday surrounded by family at her New Jersey home while receiving hospice care treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, ABC News reported.

“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We loss the matriarch of our family,” said daughter-in-law Pat Houston in a statement, adding that her Houston’s contributions to popular music and culture are “unparalleled.”

“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,” said Pat. “Her more than seven-decade career in music and entertainment will remain at the forefront of our hearts.”

As a member of the vocal group Sweet Inspirations, alongside Doris Troy and Dee Dee Warrick, Houston sang backup for Otis Redding, Lou Rawls, The Drifters and Dionne Warwick. They also went on to sing back up for Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin and, at times, Houston sung side by side with her daughter Whitney.

In 1987, she recorded a duet with Whitney titled, “I Know Him So Well,” and another in 2006, “Family First” with Warwick.

Upon Whitney’s death in 2012, Houston penned an open letter to her late daughter recounting the “blessed” time they spent together.

“You were a child of God. We had so much love in our home that was truly from on high. You always gave without expecting anything in return and our love was the force that multiplied these blessings higher and higher,” she wrote in the letter, which has gone viral on X upon the news of her death.

As a session singer, Houston recorded more than 600 songs across musical genres, and her voice can be heard on songs with Beyoncé, Chaka Khan, Donny Hathaway, Jimi Hendrix, Luther Vandross, Paul Simon, Roberta Flack and her daughter Whitney. But like her daughter, her life also wasn’t without tragedy.

The youngest of eight children, Houston was five-years-old when her mother died shortly after a stroke. At 18, she lost her father to stomach cancer. Later, as Whitney’s life began to spiral out of control, she wrote of her regrets in her memoir, Remembering Whitney.

“I’m angry she died alone, in those conditions,” she says. “I’m still mad about that.”

Houston’s granddaughter Bobbi Kristina Brown—Whitney’s only child with singer-rapper Bobby Brown—died in 2015 under similar circumstances as her mother. In 2013, Houston penned another letter addressing their estranged relationship after she wrote her book, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“She was your mom and she was my child and Krissi, I loved her too, more than you might imagine. I know you were upset that I wrote my book, but I hope one day you’ll read it and understand that I just wanted to let the world see some of My Nippy,” she wrote. “The sweet, friendly, loving little girl with the extraordinary beauty and boundless talent, who grew into the superstar and musical icon the world saw.”