Mother of Whitney Houston is dead

Cissy Houston, two-time Grammy-winning soul and gospel artiste and mother of pop icon Whitney Houston, has died at the age of 91.

Houston, 91,  died on Monday morning, October 7,  in her New Jersey home while under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease, her daughter-in-law Pat Houston told The Associated Press. The acclaimed gospel singer was surrounded by her family.

“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We lost the matriarch of our family,” the statement reads.

“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.

“Her contributions to popular music and culture are unparalleled.”

Born in New Jersey in 1933, Cissy was the youngest of eight children. Born Emily Drinkard, she began singing at a young age after she formed a gospel group with her siblings.

In 1960s, Cissy began to gain popularity in the 1960s as a member of the backing group, The Sweet Inspirations with Doris Troy and her niece Dee Dee Warwick.

They sang backup for soul legends including Otis Redding, Lou Rawls and the Drifters, and Dusty Springfield.

Cissy left the group to pursue a solo career, which made her one of the world’s most in-demand session singers of that era.

She recorded more than 600 songs and her vocals can be heard on tracks by Chaka Khan, Luther Vandross, Beyoncé and Paul Simon.