Cissy Houston and her granddaughter Bobbi Kristina Brown had a public disagreement that strained their relationship. Discover how things between them evolved in the aftermath of Whitney Houston’s passing and how Cissy tried to repair her bond with her granddaughter.
Cissy Houston, mother of the late Whitney Houston, endured heartbreaking losses with the deaths of her daughter and granddaughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown. The relationship between Cissy and Bobbi became strained after a public disagreement following Whitney’s passing.
Cissy and Whitney Houston at the 2010 Keep a Child Alive’s Black Ball on September 30, 2010, in New York. | Source: Getty Images
Cissy wrote an emotional open letter to her granddaughter, hoping to make things right and repair their fractured bond. Take a closer look at their relationship, including what they were at odds over and the heartfelt words Cissy wrote in her attempt to reconcile with Bobbi.
Whitney Houston and Bobbi Kristina Brown at the Pre-GRAMMY Gala and Salute To Industry Icons Honoring David Geffen on February 12, 2011, in Beverly Hills. | Source: Getty Images
Cissy Houston and Bobbi Kristina Brown’s Tragic Passings
Cissy Houston, mother of the iconic singer Whitney Houston, recently passed away at 91. She died peacefully at her home in New Jersey, receiving hospice care due to Alzheimer’s disease.
Her daughter-in-law, Pat Houston, confirmed her passing, partly stating, “Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We lost the matriarch of our family.” Pat also described Cissy as a strong woman of faith who cared deeply for her family and the community.
Born Emily Drinkard in 1933, Cissy’s music career began in church, where her father encouraged her to sing. She first gained attention with her siblings in The Drinkard Singers and later joined The Sweet Inspirations with her nieces Dee Dee and Dionne Warwick.
Cissy Houston and The Sweet Inspirations posing for a portrait circa 1967 in New York. | Source: Getty Images
The group provided backup vocals for music legends such as Elvis Presley and Otis Redding. Cissy eventually went solo, releasing her first album in 1970 and earning multiple Grammy Awards, including one for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album in 1997.
Cissy Houston circa 1977. | Source: Getty Images
While Cissy’s professional life was filled with accomplishments, her personal life saw great sorrow. Her granddaughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, died in 2015 at just 22 years old, three years after her mother’s tragic passing.
Before her death, Bobbi, Whitney and ex-husband Bobby Brown’s only child together, was involved in a car accident on January 27, 2015, just days before she was found unconscious on January 31.
Bobby Brown holding his daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown with Cissy Houston at the Eighth Annual Soul Train Music Awards on March 15, 1994, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
The accident occurred when she lost control of her Jeep in Roswell, Georgia, and collided with another vehicle, injuring two people. Days later, Bobbi was discovered unresponsive in her home by her friend Max Lomas and Nick Gordon, the man she referred to as her husband.
She remained in a medically induced coma for months before passing away in July 2015. Bobbi’s death mirrored the tragic circumstances of her mother, who had also been found unconscious in a bathtub.
Roswell Police Department’s Lisa Holland commented, “Obviously we all know her mom died this very same way.” During Bobbi’s final days, Cissy was by her side, visiting her in the hospital.
Despite the dire situation, Cissy held onto hope and her faith, saying, “She’s not gone yet, but you know, whatever the Lord decides, I’m ready for her…I have nothing to do with that. That’s His job. It’s His territory, you know? And I understand it.”
A Fractured Relationship
In the years following Whitney’s death, Cissy and her granddaughter experienced tension in their relationship, particularly after the release of Cissy’s memoir.
Just months after the “I Will Always Love You” singer’s passing, Cissy signed a book deal to write a tell-all memoir, “Remembering Whitney,” and it was released in February 2013. The book promised to give readers an inside look at Whitney’s life, highlighting her brightest and darkest moments.
Cissy hoped the memoir would help people understand her daughter better, saying in a statement, “When I lost my daughter Nippy, the world lost one of the most beautiful voices and an extraordinarily beautiful and charitable woman.” However, Bobbi disapproved of the book.
She expressed her disappointment on social media, “ANYTHING concerning mygrandmothersBook•I& @nickdgordon OFCOURSE personally haveNOTHING2dowith• I ask you pls RESPECT tht• Haven’t read & won’t [sic].”
Another social media post read, “I find it 2B Disrespect2MYMOTHER & me being HERDAUGHTER won’t tolerate it. I LOVEYOUALL for your support though & I thank you immensely••xO [sic]!”
Bobbi Kristina Brown at the premiere of “Sparkle” on August 16, 2012, in Hollywood, California. | Source: Getty Images
Cissy was aware of her granddaughter’s feelings regarding the memoir. During an interview with Oprah Winfrey, she acknowledged that Bobbi didn’t want her to write the book. “That’s what I heard,” she said when Oprah asked if it was true that Bobbi disapproved.
Their strained relationship was further highlighted when Cissy admitted that she also didn’t support “The Houstons: On Our Own,” a reality TV show that starred Bobbi, as she didn’t like how her granddaughter was portrayed.
Cissy Houston and Bobbi Kristina Brown at “The Houstons: On Our Own” series premiere party on October 22, 2012, in New York. | Source: Getty Images
Cissy’s Open Letter to Bobbi
Months after the release of “Remembering Whitney,” Cissy made a heartfelt attempt to mend her fractured relationship with Bobbi. Although Bobbi deemed the book “disrespectful,” Cissy still hoped to reconnect with her granddaughter.
In an open letter, Cissy addressed Bobbi, or “Krissi” as she lovingly called her, explaining her intentions behind writing the book. “[…] I just wanted to let the world see some of My Nippy,” she wrote, referring to Whitney by her nickname.
Whitney and Cissy Houston circa 1984. | Source: Getty Images
Cissy hoped that one day Bobbi would understand that the memoir was not meant to hurt her but to share Whitney’s true story with the world. The letter also touched on Bobbi’s relationship with Nick, the man who was often referred to as Bobbi’s adopted brother but whom she considered her partner.
Nick Gordon and Bobbi Kristina Brown at “We Will Always Love You: A GRAMMY Salute to Whitney Houston” on October 11, 2012, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
Cissy voiced her concerns about Bobbi’s engagement, saying, “Krissi, all I want for you is your good health and your happiness. Do I want you to get married in the near future? No, I don’t. I think you’re too young and I wish you’d wait.”
As a protective grandmother, Cissy worried whether Nick — or any man — was truly good enough for her granddaughter, writing, “But that’s because I’m Grandma. I’m supposed to worry about you.”
Cissy Houston and Bobbi Kristina Brown at “The Houstons: On Our Own” series premiere party on October 22, 2012, in New York. | Source: Getty Images
In the same period, Cissy reflected on her daughter’s death and the lingering pain she felt over losing her. “I think I was a great mother, and I still do wonder if I could have saved her somehow,” she said.
Cissy wished she could have saved her daughter and was sorry Whitney had to die alone and in the kind of condition she was found in.
Whitney and Cissy Houston appearing on a special that celebrated mothers in 1987. | Source: Getty Images
The gospel singer also expressed heartbreak over Whitney Houston’s struggles, “Nobody is born to a woman who says, ‘I want my daughter to be a drug addict.’ I did everything I could that I thought was the right thing to do.”
Cissy and Whitney Houston posing for a portrait in the backyard of their home, West Orange, New Jersey, on May 28, 1985. | Source: Getty Images
Cissy Houston’s final years were marked by the loss of her daughter and granddaughter. Yet, amid their fractured relationship, Cissy’s love for Bobbi remained unwavering, as seen in her open letter. It was a grandmother’s plea for understanding, hoping that in time, Bobbi would see the intentions behind her actions.
