Cissy Houston, Grammy-winning soul and gospel icon and mother of the late Whitney Houston, passed away at 91 in her New Jersey home. Known for her powerful voice, Cissy's remarkable career included singing backup for legends and winning two Grammys for her gospel work.
Cissy Houston, the Grammy-winning soul and gospel artist and mother of the late Whitney Houston, passed away at 91 in her New Jersey home on Monday.
Her daughter-in-law, Pat Houston, shared the news on Instagram, writing: “It saddens my heart to announce the passing of my beloved Queen Cissy Houston today! Please keep the Houston family in your prayers,” accompanied by a photo collage of the singer.
Houston was born as Emily Drinkard on September 30, 1933, in Newark, New Jersey, and later took on the stage name Cissy Houston. She first gained recognition as part of the gospel group the Drinkard Four and went on to help form the R&B group, the Sweet Inspirations.
Throughout her career, she sang backup for iconic musicians such as Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Otis Redding, and Dionne Warwick.
Breaking barriers in both gender and race, Houston also worked alongside artists like Elvis Presley, Bette Midler, and Linda Ronstadt—a significant achievement for a Black woman in the industry at the time. In 1970, she embarked on a solo career, earning two Grammy Awards for her contributions to gospel music.
Cissy Houston’s daughter, Whitney Houston, passed away in 2012 after being found unresponsive in a hotel bathtub.
U.S. President Donald Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and officials from m...
A Kenyan court has convicted cult leader Paul Mackenzie and 28 co-defendants of murder over the deaths of 191 p...
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said regional issues should be res...
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for continuing to target Russia's energy infrastructure, while Russian strikes on Kyiv overnight killed at least one person and damaged a metro station.
The day after waiving sanctions and tariffs related to Russian exports, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he has yet to announce a final decision on the matter as Secretary of State Marco Rubio said officials want more time to evaluate the situation.
A Saudi AH-6i helicopter crashed in the Najran region of Saudi Arabia due to a technical malfunction, killing its two crew members, the Saudi-led coalition's spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Maliki said in a statement on Sunday.
French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the violence, looting and vandalism that erupted during cost-of-living protests across France. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu held crisis talks on Monday, calling for partial curfews and raising the possibility of a state of emergency.
An oil tanker caught fire after striking a naval mine in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said late Sunday.
A former gang leader was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison on Tuesday for orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting death of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas, capping the prosecution of a long-unsolved murder that shaped the golden age of rap music.
Here’s your AnewZ Daily Brief for 14 October 2026, featuring the top five culture and entertainment stories from around the world.
Two paintings by French Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir worth millions of dollars have been recovered a month after they were stolen from a French Riviera museum. Four men have been charged in connection with the theft, while two other suspects have been released without charge.
Iran has unveiled the restored mausoleum of 13th-century mystic Shams Tabrizi in the northwestern city of Khoy, with plans for a cultural tourism route linking the site to the shrine of renowned Persian poet Rumi in Konya, Türkiye.
AnewZ has premiered its new documentary film Kontrapunkt in Berlin, exploring more than two centuries of shared German-Azerbaijani history and the legacy of German communities in Azerbaijan.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment