Renowned Gospel Singer with 2 Grammy Wins
Tragedy of Losing Daughter and Granddaughter First
CeCe Houston, mother of pop star Whitney Houston (1963?2012) and a singer herself, passed away at the age of 91.
On the 7th (local time), local media including the AP News and The New York Times (NYT) reported through a statement from the CeCe Houston family that she passed away that morning at her home in Newark, New Jersey, USA. The family said she had been receiving hospice care for Alzheimer's disease.
Born in 1933 as the youngest of eight siblings in a factory worker's family in Newark, New Jersey, CeCe Houston attended church with her family and sang in the choir from the age of five. She began her career as a singer by forming a gospel group with her siblings during her teenage years.
In the 1960s, she was a member of the R&B vocal group Sweet Inspirations, providing backing vocals for various artists such as David Bowie, Neil Diamond, and Jimi Hendrix. In 1969, she left the group to pursue a solo career and contributed as a backup vocalist on over 600 songs by top artists of the time, including Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley.
CeCe Houston won two Grammy Awards in the traditional soul gospel category for her albums "Face to Face" (1997) and "He Leadeth Me" (1999). In addition, she contributed to the development of gospel music by serving as the choir director of the Newark New Hope Baptist Church for over half a century, leading a youth choir of about 200 members.
After a failed first marriage to Freddy Garland in 1955, CeCe Houston had three children, including Whitney, with her second husband John Houston.
She recalled that she tried to prevent Whitney, who showed exceptional talent from a young age, from entering the show business industry, but she is regarded as a key figure who played a decisive role in making Whitney a superstar. Whitney absorbed not only talent but also background by participating in all her mother's musical activities, from church to stage performances, TV and movies, and recording studios, developing the qualities and background to become a star.
Gospel music expert Robert Darden said in a 2015 NYT interview, "Whitney Houston was trained by the best," adding, "She was born with a precious voice, but without the training, influence, and experience of someone like CeCe, who could sing in any style, she would not have achieved what she did."
Whitney Houston made her successful national television debut with CeCe Houston on The Merv Griffin Show, performing a medley of Franklin's hit songs. Later, CeCe Houston toured with Whitney after her great success as a singer and provided strong support as a backup vocalist on Whitney's hit songs such as "How Will I Know" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody."
However, CeCe Houston had to endure the tragedy of losing her daughter and granddaughter in her later years.
Singer Sisi Houston (left) and her daughter Whitney Houston attending an event together in September 2010 [Image source=AP Yonhap News]
Her daughter Whitney Houston was found dead in a hotel bathtub in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, in 2012, and Whitney's daughter, Christina Brown, was found unconscious in a bathtub at her home in Georgia in 2015 and died after six months in a coma.
Whitney was investigated to have drowned after suffering a heart attack in the bathtub following cocaine use, and Christina Brown was also found to have been under the influence of various drugs including marijuana, cocaine, and morphine at the time of her death, drawing sympathy from those around them.
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