Cissy Houston, Grammy winner and mother of Whitney Houston, dies at 91 | Soul

Cissy Houston, the mother of the late Whitney Houston and a two-time Grammy winner who performed alongside superstar musicians such as Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, has died. She was 91.

Houston died Monday morning at her home in New Jersey while receiving hospice care for Alzheimer's disease, her daughter-in-law Pat Houston told the Associated Press. The celebrated gospel singer was surrounded by her family.

“Our hearts are full of pain and sadness. We have lost the matriarch of our family,” Pat Houston said in a statement. She said her mother-in-law's contribution to popular music and culture was “unprecedented.”

“Mother Cissy was a strong and prominent figure in our lives. A woman of deep faith and conviction who cared deeply about family, service and community. Her career spanning more than seven decades in the music and entertainment industry will continue to be close to our hearts.”

Houston was a member of the popular singing group Sweet Inspirations with Doris Troy and her niece Dee Dee Warwick. The group sang backup for various soul singers, including Otis Redding, Lou Rawls, the Drifters and Dionne Warwick.

The Sweet Inspirations performed on Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl and sang backing vocals for the Jimi Hendrix Experience on Burning of the Midnight Lamp in 1967. That same year, Houston worked on Franklin's classic Ain't No Way.

Houston's final performance with the Sweet Inspirations came after the group appeared on stage with Presley in a Las Vegas show in 1969. Her final recording session with the group became their biggest R&B hit (Gotta Find) A Brand New Lover, a composition by The Sweet Inspiration's production team of Gamble & Huff, which featured on the group's fifth album, Sweet Sweet Soul.

During this time, the group occasionally performed live concerts with Franklin. After the group's success and four albums together, Houston left the Sweet Inspirations to pursue a solo career, in which she thrived.

Houston became a sought-after session singer and recorded more than 600 songs in various genres throughout her career. Her vocals can be heard on tracks alongside a variety of artists including Chaka Khan, Donny Hathaway, Hendrix, Luther Vandross, Beyoncé, Paul Simon, Roberta Flack and her daughter.

In 1971, Houston's signature vocals were heard on Burt Bacharach's solo albums, including Mexican Divorce, All Kinds of People and One Less Bell to Answer. She performed various standards, including Barbra Streisand's hit song Evergreen.

Houston won Grammys for her albums “Face to Face” and “He Leadeth Me” in the Best Traditional Soul-Gospel Album category.

She began her career when she formed the gospel group Drinkard Four with her sister Anne and brothers Larry and Nicky, which recorded an album.