Cissy Houston was laid to rest on Thursday (Oct. 17) in her hometown of Newark, NJ. The Celebration of Life was held at New Hope Baptist Church where Houston was a member and led the choir for decades, according to the Associated Press. It is also the same church that housed the funeral for her daughter Whitney Houston in 2012.
Attendees included Dionne Warwick, BeBe Winans, Darlene Love, Valerie Simpson, Monifah Carter, producer Debra Martin Chase, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. When speaking, Warwick, Houston’s niece, reflected on their time spent together.
“She gave so much. She gave me the right to be me,” remembered Warwick from the podium, per AP. “Cissy, I’m going to miss you.”
“While each one of us are born with a voice, only a select few of us are endowed with a voice that is powerful enough to reach into the hearts of millions and millions of listeners around the world, a voice that is powerful enough to soothe the pain of heartbreak or to carry the euphoria of falling in love,” expressed Gov. Murphy.
Cissy Houston passed away earlier this month at age 91 in her New Jersey home surrounded by family. The two-time Grammy-winning singer had been in hospice for Alzheimer’s disease. She was preceded in death by her siblings, parents, ex-husband John, daughter Whitney, and granddaughter Bobbi Kristina.
“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We los[t] the matriarch of our family,” read a statement on behalf of the family at the time.
“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. We are touched by your generous support, and your outpouring of love during our profound time of grief. We respectfully request our privacy during this difficult time.”