Cissy Houston, a Grammy Award-winning artist and the mother of Whitney Houston, passed away in New Jersey on Monday (October 7). Cissy’s daughter-in-law Pat Houston announced the singer died while in hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease.
“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness,” Pat said on behalf of the family. “We lost the matriarch of our family. 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. Her contributions to popular music and culture are unparalleled.”
She added, “We are blessed and grateful that God allowed her to spend so many years with us and we are thankful for all the many valuable life lessons that she taught us. May she rest in peace, alongside her daughter Whitney and granddaughter Bobbi Kristina and other cherished family members.”
Cissy suffered two tragic losses over the past 15 years. Her daughter Whitney passed away in 2012. Cissy’s granddaughter Bobby Kristina, Whitney’s only child, died in 2015.
The two-time Grammy winner sang backup for multiple music legends during her storied career. She worked with her niece Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Chaka Khan, Diana Ross, Elvis Presley, Dusty Springfield and David Bowie, among others.
Cissy won her first Grammy in 1997 and her second in 1999. Both awards were in the Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album category.