10 Photos We Love Honoring Cissy & Whitney Houston

Source: Kevin Mazur/Child / Getty

Today, the world mourns the loss of Emily “Cissy” Houston. The beloved mother of the late Whitney Houston and a powerhouse gospel singer in her own right passed away at 91.

Cissy died on Monday, October 7, in New Jersey. According to the Associated Press, she was under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease and surrounded by loved ones.

“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We’ve lost the matriarch of our family,” said her daughter-in-law Pat Houston in a statement released shortly after. “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.”

Whitney Houston says her mother Cissy taught her how to sing with gospel music.

Though she is most widely known as the mother of one of the most iconic voices in the world, Cissy was a force in her own right. Even Whitney credited her mother for teaching her how to sing.

“I had the singing in me, but she taught me how, and she taught me through gospel,” Whitney once said in an interview. “She told me that if I could sing gospel, I could sing anything I wanted to because everything is rooted in that music.”

Whitney continued, admiring her mother’s instruction: “She wasn’t kidding, because I could take that, and I could sing any melody, or sing around any melody that I wanted to, because I could hear very well.”

Cissy started her career singing in the church, but her popularity grew in the 1960s as a member of The Sweet Inspirations alongside Doris Troy and her niece Dee Dee Warwick. The group sang backup for soul legends, including Dionne Warwick.

Over the years, Cissy’s popularity soared, and she left a lasting mark on the music industry. She went on to record more than 600 songs with artists ranging from Chaka Khan and Beyoncé to her daughter Whitney and Jimi Hendrix. She also won two Grammy awards for “Traditional Gospel Album,” solidifying her place as a musical icon.

But Cissy was more than just her glamorous career. She was a matriarch who deeply loved her children—her daughter Whitney and sons Gary and Michael—and her grandchildren.

Throughout Whitney’s highs and lows in the limelight, Cissy Houston stood by her side.

She often defended, consoled, and supported her daughter through difficult times.

Less than a year after Whitney’s passing, Cissy sat with Oprah Winfrey for an emotional interview. Discussing her book Remembering Whitney: My Story of Love, Loss and the Night the Music Stopped, Cissy opened up about her relationship with Whitney, sharing her love, doubts, and insights into who Whitney was.

When Oprah asked a simple but powerful question—”Who is Whitney Houston?”—Cissy replied, “She was the sweetest thing you ever wanted to see. She was a kind, giving person. Whitney was considerate and all kinds of things like that. She’d help anybody with anything. She gave, gave, gave, and a lot of people took advantage.”

As we reflect on Cissy’s legacy, we can’t help but smile thinking about the generational talent she passed down. Whitney’s voice may have been a gift to the world, but Cissy nurtured and developed it into something unforgettably iconic. The musical world will forever be grateful to both women.

Cissy may be gone, but her legacy—and the love she gave—will echo for generations to come.

Heaven just got a little more soulful.

See endearing pictures of Cissy Houston and her daughter Whitney below.

1. Cissy and Whitney always knew how to make an entrance.

Whitney Houston and her mother Cissy were caught by cameras  leaving the Parker Neridan Hotel in New York City in 1989. The Houston ladies are not playing in this picture.  

2. All smiles at the World Music Awards Ceremony.

Cissy and Whitney Houston posed at the World Music Awards Ceremony on May 4, 1994 in Monaco. Both wore versions of black for the occasion.

3. Whitney Houston and her family enjoy a laugh at home.

Could this picture get more endearing? We can’t get enough of seeing a rare family moment between Whitney, her mother Cissy and her father John. They appear to be enjoying breakfast at home.

4. Toasting to an exciting music industry.

Whitney and Cissy Houston were seen together at many industry events. In the late ’80s they attended Clive Davis’s annual pre-Grammy party held at the Beverly Hills hotel.

5. A quick snap at the 15th Annual American Music Awards.

Whitney Houston and Cissy Houston pose at the 15th Annual American Music Awards in 1988. Whitney is a vision in a bright red, orange and green set while Cissy wears a gold wrap dress.

6. Supporting the United Negro College Fund – we love to see it!

Whitney and Cissy Houston frequently supported the United Negro College Fund. Here the mother-daughter pair smiles at an ’80s UNCF press conference. 

7. One thing Whitney and Cissy were going to do is show up and show out.

Here Whitney and Cissy Houston are captured attending an event together in 1990. Going through the music industry herself, Cissy often managed and mentored her daughter throughout her award-winning career.

8. Something about a mother's love.

We can’t get enough of this pic! Taken just two years before Whitney Houston passed away, the two make a gorgeous appearance at  the 2010 Keep A Child Alive’s Black Ball in NYC.

9. Living their lives like it is golden.

Whitney and mother Cissy Houston give golden goddess looks at the 21st Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in 1990. It’s giving glitz, glam, and gaudy fabulousness.

10. Their smiles were iconic and their style unforgettable.

Get into Whitney and Cissy’s iconic smiles and gorgeous style. The two turned heads at the Soul Train 25th Anniversary Hall of Fame Ceremony in November 1995.