Cissy Houston, Whitney Houston's mother and Grammy winner, died at the age of 91

Gwendolyn Quinn, a representative for The Estate of Whitney E. Houston, has confirmed the passing of Grammy-winning singer Cissy Houston, who was also Whitney Houston's mother. She was ninety-one.

In a statement, it was stated that the singer passed away on Monday at 10:30 a.m. ET under hospice care, accompanied by her family. The statement stated that she had Alzheimer's disease.

“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We loss the matriarch of our family,” her daughter-in-law Pat Houston said. “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," stated the statement. "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.”

According to a family biography, Cissy Houston was born Emily Drinkard and was the youngest of the late Nitcholas and Delia Mae Drinkard's eight children.

Houston attended New Hope Baptist Church, where she eventually rose to the position of Minister of Sacred Music, and received her education from the Newark Public School system.

According to the biography, Houston started her singing career at the age of five in 1938 when she joined her siblings, Anne, Larry, and Nicky, in the gospel group The Drinkard Four.

The ensemble then added Lee and Marie, her sisters, and was dubbed The Drinkard Singers. After Anne Drinkard departed the group, Judy Clay, Lee's adopted daughter, took her place.

Cissy Houston founded The Sweet Inspirations in 1963 with the surviving members of The Drinkard Sisters. Throughout the 1960s, The Sweet Inspirations sang background vocals for numerous performers, such as Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Esther Phillips, Lou Rawls, Otis Redding, Solomon Burke, The Drifters, and Wilson Pickett.

In 1969, she issued "Presenting Cissy Houston," her debut solo album.

The trio and Presley performed together for the last time in 1969 in Las Vegas. She began her solo career in 1970 with the publication of her debut album, "Presenting Cissy Houston." Over the years, she would go on to create a number more albums, the most recent of which was "Walk on By Faith" (2012). Throughout her career, her voice may be heard on tracks by Chaka Khan, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Beyoncé, Donny Hathaway, Wilson Pickett, and many more. She also sang backup on hundreds of recordings, including Bette Middler's 1972 breakthrough “The Divine Miss M.” and Franklin's “Ain’t No Way”.

Houston, a two-time Grammy Award-winning recording artist, had a prosperous career as a solo performer and album producer. She recorded 10 solo albums, four compilation albums, and five joint albums.

She recorded and performed with a wide range of musicians across different genres as a first-call backup vocalist, including Whitney Houston, her late daughter, Bette Midler, Beyoncé, Burt Bacharach, Carly Simon, Chaka Khan, David Bowie, Elvis Presley, and Jimi Hendrix.

"Face to Face," which won in the best traditional soul gospel album category, gave Houston her first Grammy in 1997. She won the Grammy in the same category two years later for her album "He Leadeth Me."