Cissy Houston, Whitney Houston’s Mother & Grammy Winner Dies At 91

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Cissy Houston was best known to modern music fans as Whitney Houston ‘s mother. But the two-time Grammy winner was much more than that – she was a powerhouse vocalist in her own right.

Cissy Houston died earlier this week in her home in New Jersey, after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 91.

Houston was born Emily Drinkard in Newark, N.J. She grew up in the church, becoming part of the family gospel group, The Drinkards, with three of her siblings. She was just five years old at the time. That led her to a lengthy career singing gospel until she became a member of The Sweet Inspirations with her cousin Doris and her niece, Dee Dee Warwick, whose sister is Dionne Warwick. The gospel singer Leontyne Price is also a cousin.

“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We lost the matriarch of our family,” Pat Houston, Cissy’s daughter-in-law, said in a statement. “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.”

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The Sweet Inspirations became one of music’s most sought-after background singers, performing and recording with artists like Elvis Presley, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, The Drifters and Warwick.

The Inspirations had two charting hits, “Sweet Inspiration” and “(Gotta Find) A Brand New Lover.” But Houston would leave the group for a solo career, recording albums in the R&B and gospel genres. But she ultimately found the most enduring success as a session singer, appearing on more than 600 songs.

She championed her daughter’s career, putting Whitney in the youth choir she directed at her longtime church home, Newark’s New Hope Baptist Church.

By the time she was 16, Whitney was singing and modeling. She was discovered by music executive Gerry Griffith, during a showcase at a New York club and brought to the attention of Clive Davis, who signed her to Arista Records. Whitney’s first-ever TV appearance was singing with Cissy on The Merv Griffin Show.

Whitney’s path to stardom was largely plotted by Davis who helped become one of the most popular female vocalists of all-time. Despite her success, she struggled with substance abuse and was found dead in a Los Angeles hotel room on Feb. 12, 2011, the night before the 53rd annual Grammy Awards.

Just four years later, her only child, Bobbi Kristina Brown, who she shared with ex-husband Bobby Brown, was found unresponsive in her home in similar circumstances. She died months later.

“Sending love and blessings to the Houston family on this great loss,” Bobby Brown and his wife Alicia Etheredge said in a statement to People . “May she rest in Peace and Power. The Browns.”

Cissy is survived by her sons, Gary Garland and Michael Houston. Houston was married to Whitney and Michael’s father, John Houston, for 31 years. He was Whitney’s manager at one point, and died in 2003. Her oldest son, Gary, was from a previous relationship.

Watch Whitney and Cissy in the video for The Greatest Love of All above and see how fans are celebrating the life of the singer below.