Whitney Houston's mum Cissy dies aged 91 as family pay emotional tribute
Cissy Houston, the mother of late American singer Whitney Houston, has died at the age of 91. Cissy’s daughter-in-law Pat Houston confirmed her passing in a statement, it read: “Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We lost the matriarch of our family. Mother Cissy has been a strong and towering figure in our lives.
Pat continued: “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. We are touched by your generous support, and your outpouring of love during our profound time of grief. We respectfully request our privacy during this difficult time.”
Cissy passed on Monday (7 October) morning in her New Jersey home while under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease. Born on 30 September 1933, Cissy was the youngest of eight children. Just like her daughter, Cissy was a Grammy-winning singer whose career stretched back to the 1930s.
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Cissy was part of the R&B group, The Sweet Inspirations who sang back-up for the likes of Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan. The group also appeared on Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl hit and sang background vocals for the Jimi Hendrix Experience – on the song Burning of the Midnight Lamp.
Her final performance with the Sweet Inspirations came after the group joined Elvis on stage for his famous Las Vegas show in 1969. And her final recording session with the group turned into their biggest smash – (Gotta Find) A Brand New Lover.
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Cissy left the group to pursue a solo career, which flourished and saw her become one of the world’s most in-demand session singers. She recorded more than 600 songs in a huge variety of genres, with her vocals also heard on tracks by Beyoncé and Paul Simon. During her career, Cissy also won two Grammy Awards for her Gospel albums.
In 1955, Cissy married Freddie Garland in 1955 and they welcomed a son named Gary Garland in October 1957 - and he went on to be an NBA basketball player and DePaul University Athletic Hall of Famer. Cissy and Freddie divorced in 1957. Cissy met John Houston Jr in early 1957, they welcomed two children, Michael, born in 1961, and Whitney born in 1963. Cissy and John then married in 1964.
Cissy’s famous daughter, Whitney, passed away in 2012 after an accidental drowning. The devastated mother spoke of her heartbreak over her daughter's death in the 2013 book Remembering Whitney. She wrote: “I’m angry she died alone, in those conditions. I’m still mad about that.” And she told People that she hoped the book would remind fans “what a good person she was. I want people to know the truth about her, how she really was.”
