NEWARK, NJ (CelebrityAccess) — Cissy Houston, the Grammy-winning gospel singer and mother of the late singer Whitney Houston, has passed away at the age of 95.
According to the Associated Press, Houston died at her home in her native New Jersey on Monday while in hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease.
“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We have lost the matriarch of our family,” said daughter-in-law Pat Houston in a statement provided to the AP.
Born Emily Drinkard in Newark in 1933, Houston began her professional career at the age of five, joining her sister Anne and brothers Larry and Nicky in the family gospel vocal group, the Drinkard Four.
The group achieved early success, regularly performing at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark and signing a recording deal with RCA, becoming one of the first gospel acts to release an album through a major label.
In 1963, she formed the session group Sweet Inspirations with Doris Troy and niece Dee Dee Warwick, and they were hired to provide backing vocals for artists such as Otis Redding, Elvis Presley, Wilson Pickett, Dusty Springfield, and Dionne Warwick.
That same year, she launched a solo career under the name Cecily Blair, recording secular hits such as “World Of Broken Hearts” and “One Broken Heart For Sale,” among others.
She released her first solo album as Cissy Houston in 1970, featuring charting singles like “I’ll Be There” and “Be My Baby.”
Houston won a Grammy for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album for “Face to Face” in 1996, followed by another Grammy three years later for Best Traditional Gospel Album.
In addition to her singing career, she served as the Minister of Music at New Hope Baptist Church for more than 50 years.
