New tragedy for Whitney Houston’s family as mother Cissy dies

The Houston family is now mourning another great loss following the tragic deaths of Whitney Houston and her daughter Bobbi-Kristina.

Cissy Houston, the Grammy award-winning singer who is also the mother of the late Whitney Houston, has died. She was 91.

Cissy passed away on Monday morning at her New Jersey home while under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease, her daughter-in-law, Pat Houston, told the Associated Press.

The two-time Grammy award winner was surrounded by her family.

“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We lost the matriarch of our family,” Pat said in a statement, adding that her mother’s contributions to music and culture are “unparalleled.”

Whitney Houston and her mother Cissy in 2010. Picture: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

“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 said she and the Houston family “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’s singing career began in 1938 when she joined her siblings in the gospel singing group the Drinkard Four.

During Cissy’s time with the group, which was later renamed to The Drinkard Singers, she made her television debut on TV Gospel Time.

Cissy was an incredibly accomplished singer in her own right. Picture: Getty Images For BET

She helped Whitney get her start in the family business. Picture: Alamy

Before she was about to give birth to daughter Whitney in 1963, Cissy formed the Sweet Inspirations with Doris Troy and her niece Dee Dee Warrick.

Sylvia Shemwell, Estelle Brown and Myrna Smith then joined the group and they sang backup for several artists, including Otis Redding, Lou Rawls, The Drifters, Dusty Springfield and Cissy’s niece Dionne Warwick.

Cissy also had a successful solo career, winning two Grammys for her albums Face to Face in 1996 and He Leadeth Me in 1998.

In February 2012, Cissy faced heartbreak when her daughter, Whitney, was found unconscious in the bathtub of her Beverly Hilton hotel suite and was pronounced dead soon after. She was 48.

Cissy’s daughter Whitney and granddaughter Bobbi Kristina died just three years apart. Picture: Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic

The coroner later revealed the I Will Always Love You singer had accidentally drowned, listing heart disease and cocaine use as contributing factors.

Three years later, Cissy’s granddaughter and Whitney’s only child Bobbi Kristina died at the age of 22, after being found unconcious in a bathtub and living in a coma for six months.

Cissy leaves behind her sons, Micheal Houston and Gary Garland.

This story originally appeared on Page Six and is republished here with permission.

Originally published as New tragedy for Whitney Houston’s family as mother Cissy dies