Bobby Brown has led tributes to Cissy Houston, the mother of the late Whitney Houston, following her death aged 91.
The gospel singer, who won two Grammys and performed opposite stars including Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, died on Monday morning in her home in New Jersey.
Cissy was under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease and died surrounded by her family.
“Sending love and blessings to the Houston family on this great loss,” US music star Brown and his wife Alicia Etheredge-Brown said in a statement given to the PA news agency.
“May she rest in peace and power.”
Brown and Whitney were married from 1992 to 2007, before her death aged 48 in 2012.
She accidentally drowned in a bathtub at a hotel in Beverly Hills before a coroner listed her drug use as a contributing factor to her death.
The death of Cissy comes a day after Jennifer Hudson paid tribute to Whitney during the 50th anniversary of the American Music Awards (AMAs).
Hudson performed a similar medley of songs to Whitney’s 1994 performance at the awards show where she won eight gongs for The Bodyguard soundtrack – and thanked her mother and father during almost every acceptance speech.
During her seven-decade career, Cissy starred in group The Sweet Inspirations who sang backing vocals for soul stars including Otis Redding and Dionne Warwick.
The group appeared on stage with Presley in a Las Vegas show in 1969 and performed a handful of live concert dates with Franklin, before Cissy left the vocal group to pursue a solo career.
She became a successful session singer, with her vocals heard on tracks from Chaka Khan, Jimi Hendrix, Luther Vandross, Beyonce, Paul Simon, and her daughter Whitney.
Khan described Cissy as a “true legend” in a tribute on Instagram, sharing a black and white photograph of the pair in a recording studio alongside the late Vandross and British superstar David Bowie.
“Her voice was a gift to the world, and her spirit was a guiding light for so many, including myself,” Khan wrote.
“Our paths crossed in the most beautiful ways, and I will always cherish the moments we shared — both in the studio and privately.
“Cissy, your legacy will live on in every note we sang and in every heart you touched. Rest in harmony, beautiful soul. Your voice and memory will forever echo in our hearts.”
Cissy won Grammy awards for her albums Face To Face in 1997 and He Leadeth Me two years later both in the best traditional soul gospel album category.
During her career she wrote three books titled He Leadeth Me; How Sweet The Sound: My Life With God And Gospel and Remembering Whitney: A Mother’s Story Of Life, Loss And The Night The Music Stopped.
On Monday, Cissy’s daughter-in-law Pat Houston confirmed her death to The Associated Press in a statement which read: “Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We loss the matriarch of our family.
“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.”
