Cissy Houston’s heartbreaking reaction to her daughter Whitney’s death has resurfaced after the matriarch died Monday at the age of 91.
In an interview with Oprah in January 2013, nearly a year after Whitney drowned in a Beverly Hills hotel bathtub at age 48, Cissy told the talk show host that she was “alone” and ” devastated” when she learned of her daughter’s only death.
She told Oprah that she received a chilling phone call from one of her children the day Whitney was discovered.
‘Well, my son called me and was shouting, “Mommy, mommy!” And I said, “Oh God, what’s wrong?” and he just said “Nippy, Nippy,” Cissy said, referring to Whitney by the nickname her family gave her.
Cissy revealed that she soon became “upset” with her son because she didn’t understand what he was trying to tell her.
“He said, ‘I don’t know, I can’t go back up there.’ I said, ‘You can’t go back up where?’ He said, ‘They found Nippy up there,'” he added.
During an interview with Oprah in 2013 (pictured), Cissy Houston revealed the moment she was told her daughter Whitney had died.
Cissy died Monday at her home in New Jersey while receiving hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease, her family said. (pictured: Whitney and Cissy in January 1986)
And I said, “Did they find her? What? What?”, and she was bothering me because she wasn’t telling me anything.
‘I said, “Is she dead?” and he said, “Yes, mommy, she’s dead,” and I don’t remember much else after that.
‘I was alone. I was a mess, I was just a mess,’ Cissy said.
Cissy died Monday at her home in New Jersey while receiving hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease, her family said.
Her daughter-in-law Pat Houston told the Associated Press that the singer died surrounded by her family.
‘Our hearts are full of pain and sadness. “We lost the matriarch of our family,” he said in a statement announcing the death of the 91-year-old woman.
‘Mother Cissy has been a strong and imposing figure in our lives. A woman of deep faith and conviction, who cared deeply about family, ministry and community.
“His more than seven-decade career in music and entertainment will remain in the forefront of our hearts.”
Considered the matriarch of Houston’s singing dynasty, Cissy struggled to come to terms with the death of her daughter Whitney, which was followed three years later by the death of her granddaughter Bobbi Kristina in an eerily similar death when she was also found dead in her bathtub.
Following Cissy’s death, her family said in a statement that she can now “rest in peace alongside her daughter Whitney, granddaughter Bobbi Kristina and other beloved family members.”
After learning that her daughter was found dead that day, Cissy said: “I was alone. I was a mess, I was just a mess.
Before her daughter rose to stardom, Cissy was best known for her work with backup group Sweet Inspirations, and her powerful voice can be heard supporting soul legends such as Otis Redding and Lou Rawls.
After going solo, he won his first Grammy in 1997 for his album ‘Face to Face’, before winning his second award for best traditional soul gospel album the following year with ‘He Leadeth Me’.
Now, 12 years after her beloved daughter’s death, a letter Cissy wrote to her has also resurfaced.
The heartbreaking tribute was published in Whitney’s funeral program and shared by TMZ At the moment.
The mother of three, who also shared sons Gary and Michael with ex-husbands Freddie Garland John Houston respectively, wrote: “Dear Whitney, God’s presence blessed our home with life, love, joy and peace. You and your brothers were the center of divine love, attracting the richest blessings from God.
‘You were a child of God. We had so much love in our home that truly came from above. You always gave without expecting anything in return and our love was the force that multiplied these blessings higher and higher.’
Before her daughter rose to stardom, Cissy was best known for her work with backup group Sweet Inspirations, and her powerful voice can be heard supporting soul legends such as Otis Redding and Lou Rawls.
Considered the matriarch of Houston’s singing dynasty, Cissy struggled to come to terms with the death of her daughter Whitney, followed three years later by the death of her granddaughter Bobbi Kristina. (pictured: Whitney and Cissy in December 1986)
The grieving father continued: “I never told you that when you were born, the Holy Spirit told me that you would not be with me for long and I thank God for the beautiful flower that He allowed me to cultivate and cherish for 48 years.”
Using the I Wanna Dance with Somebody hitmaker’s nickname, she added: “God said it’s Nippy time; your work is done. The other day, February 11, He came for you.
But not without prior notice. For two months I have been depressed, crying, alone and sad without knowing why.’
She shared the haunting memory: ‘On Saturday, before I found out about your transition, my doorbell rang. I went to answer but there was no one. It rang again and again, no one was there, so I called the concierge to tell him that someone was ringing the doorbell. “He checked the cameras and told me there was no one there.”
The letter said, “You promised me you would come spend time with me after the Grammys.” I think the spirits allowed you to come after all. How I love you Nippy and how I miss you, your beautiful smile, your special little things that you used to say to me and sometimes you called me just to say: “Hi mommy, I love you so much.”
Mourning her only daughter, Cissy concluded the message: ‘I loved you so much more. I love you, I will miss you. Thank you for being such a wonderful daughter.
‘Rest in peace my girl, you are now in the arms of Jesus. Love, mommy.’
Bobby Brown, Whitney’s ex-husband and Bobbi Kristina’s father, soon reacted to his former mother-in-law’s death on Monday.
Following Cissy’s death, her family said in a statement that she can now “rest in peace alongside her daughter Whitney, granddaughter Bobbi Kristina and other beloved family members.” (pictured left to right: Booby Kristina, Cissy Houston and Whitney Houston)
The singer, 55, and his wife Alicia Etheredge-Brown, 50, told People in a statement on Monday: “Sending love and blessings to the Houston family for this great loss.”
The Boston-born musical artist and his wife ended the brief statement by saying, “May he rest in peace and power.” The Browns.
The Don’t Be Cruel singer and the late Whitney Houston first crossed paths in 1989 and exchanged vows in July 1992, divorcing 14 years later in April 2007.
Cissy’s last performance with Sweet Inspirations was in 1969, when her vocal band collaborated with Elvis Presley in Las Vegas.
Following further success as a group, including their performance with Aretha Franklin, Cissy left the band to go solo after a total of four albums together.
Over the next several decades of her career, Cissy worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Jimi Hendrix, Beyoncé, Luther Vandross, and later, her own daughter.
Speaking in 1998 of having found his most lucrative success in his later years, he told Jet Magazine: “A lot of the things I’ve done have come late in life, and it’s like I’m starting a whole new career.” I have no regrets about the way I planned and lived my life, and I am very proud of who I have become.’