Gospel Legend Cissy Houston (91) Passed Away

American gospel singer Cissy Houston, mother of the legendary Whitney Houston, passed away on Monday at the age of 91 in her hometown of Newark. This was announced by her family. Houston, who had been in hospice care for some time due to Alzheimer’s disease, leaves behind an impressive musical legacy spanning more than seven decades.

Emily Drinkard, as she was named at birth, grew from a humble church choir singer to one of the most influential figures in American gospel music. As a member of The Sweet Inspirations, her voice was heard on countless hits from the 1960s, including classics like Aretha Franklin’s “Natural Woman” and Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl”. Later, she would develop into a respected solo singer, earning her two Grammy Awards for Best Traditional Gospel Album.

Houston was at the head of an impressive musical dynasty. Not only was she the mother of Whitney Houston, but her cousins Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick and her cousin Leontyne Price also made names for themselves in the music world. For more than fifty years, she was the choir director at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, where she took her first musical steps at the age of five.

The final years of her life were overshadowed by personal tragedies. In 2012, she lost her daughter Whitney Houston, who died at the age of 48 in a hotel bathtub. Three years later, her granddaughter Bobbi Kristina Brown met a similarly tragic fate. Despite these setbacks, Houston remained a beacon of strength and spirituality within the gospel community well into her old age.

Music experts praise her not only for her own achievements but especially for her role as a guardian and developer of talent. “Whitney Houston was trained by the best,” Robert Darden, a professor at Baylor University, said earlier about her. “And although Whitney had a unique voice, without the training and influence of someone like Cissy, who knew everyone and could sing in every style, she would never have achieved what she did.”

Cissy Houston is survived by two sons, Gary Garland and Michael Houston, as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. With her passing, the American music world loses one of its last great gospel pioneers from the golden age of soul and R&B.

She aptly summarized her life philosophy in a 1983 interview with an American newspaper: “Everything comes from within. What I feel is what I sing.” It is this authenticity that will continue to characterize her voice and her legacy long after her passing.