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Cissy Houston, gospel singer and mother of Whitney Houston, dies at 91

Cissy Houston smiling while holding a microphone in her right hand
Cissy Houston, a two-time Grammy Award winner who sang with Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, died Monday.
(Charles Sykes / Invision / Associated Press)
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Cissy Houston, a two-time Grammy-winning gospel singer who was the mother of late pop titan Whitney Houston, died Monday. She was 91.

“It saddens my heart to announce the passing of my beloved Queen Cissy Houston today! Please keep the Houston family in your prayers,” her daughter-in-law Pat Houston wrote Monday on Instagram.

In a statement to the Associated Press, Pat Houston said that the matriarch, who performed with Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, died Monday morning in her New Jersey home while under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease and surrounded by family.

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Cissy Houston opens up about the day Whitney Houston died

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“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,” Pat Houston said.

This story is developing.

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