Cissy Houston, Mother of Whitney Houston, Still Believes in God 18 Months After Daughter's Death
Cissy Houston, mother of the late Whitney Houston, recently said that she still has faith in God following the death of her daughter, who was found dead 18 months ago in Los Angeles, Calif. after accidentally drowning in a hotel bathtub.
While speaking at the Two River Theater Co. in Red Bank, New Jersey, Cissy Houston, who is also a singer, told the crowd that she doesn't blame God for taking the life of her daughter, but rather continues to have faith in His plan.
"I believe totally in [God]. I know with every ounce in me he loved her and she loved him. And I love him," Houston said, as reported by The Asbury Park Press. Houston went on to assert that she continues to struggle with the grief she feels in losing Whitney. "I wake up crying, I go to bed crying, I wake up in the middle of the night crying, wherever it comes," Houston said.
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"It's been very difficult for me, and still is. I'm on the mend. I'll never forget her," Houston added.
Houston was holding a book signing at the Two River Theater Co. on Sunday for her book, Remembering Whitney: My Story of Love, Loss and the Night the Music Died. The event was attended by roughly 80 people and included a 45-minute live interview between Houston and journalist Gilda Rogers.
Cissy Houston made her music career as a well-known gospel and soul singer, working as a back-up singer for famous musicians such as Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, especially during her time with the gospel group The Drinkard Singers. She later transitioned into secular music and a solo career, but she is most-known for her Christian gospel songs, which include "The Lord is My Shepherd" and "Walk on by Faith," among others.
The accomplished Gospel singer has also spent the past 50 years working with the Youth Inspirational Choir at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. She has served as the church's music director and performs annually at the McDonald's GospelFest in Newark.
In February 2012, famed singer Whitney Houston was found dead in the bathtub of her hotel room at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. prior to the 2012 Grammy Awards. The coroner's report found that Houston had cocaine in her system at the time of her death. The death was listed as accidental with cocaine use and heart disease being contributing factors.
Cissy Houston has remained rather silent on the death of her daughter, and the release of her book, Remembering Whitney, in January 2013, was considered to be her first major public expression of her loss.
