Cissy Houston, a two-time Grammy-winning gospel singer who was the mother of late pop titan Whitney Houston, died Monday. She was 91, according to The LA Times.
In a statement to The Times, the estate of Whitney Houston said that the matriarch, who performed with Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, died Monday morning in her New Jersey home while under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease. She was surrounded by 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,” Pat Houston said in the statement. (Pat is married to Cissy Houston’s son, former NBA player Gary Houston.)
“Her contributions to popular music and culture are unparalleled. 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,” she said.
Born Emily Drinkard in Newark, N.J., on Sept. 30, 1933, Cissy Houston was the youngest of eight children. She attended New Hope Baptist Church and later became its minister of sacred music.
Before that, however, she launched her show business career as a youngster when she, her sister Anne and brothers Larry and Nicky formed a gospel group in 1938. Together, the Drinkard Four recorded one album.
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