Revealed: Cissy Houston - Is the Star a Billionaire? Net Worth 2026: Career Earnings & Assets

As one of the most talked-about figures, Cissy Houston has built a significant fortune. In this article, we dive deep into the assets and career highlights.

What was Cissy Houston's Net Worth?

Houston continued singing as she got older, and she formed the group the Sweet Inspirations in 1963 along with Doris Troy and Dee Dee Warwick. A few years later, Slyvia Shemwell, Estelle Brown, and Myrna Smith formed the line-up, and the group was signed with Atlantic Records. The Sweet Inspirations provided backup vocals to a wide range of artists, includingLou Rawls,Otis Redding, The Drifters, and Houston's niece,Dionne Warwick. They have notably appeared on the popularVan Morrisonsingle, Brown Eyed Girl. Houston was also featured on the Aretha Franklin hit, "Ain't No Way," and can be heard performing the operatic soprano part. The Sweet Inspirations also performed background vocals for the track "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" by TheJimi HendrixExperience.

Cissy Houston was an American soul and gospel singer who had a net worth of $2 million at the time of her death. Cissy Houston died on October 7, 2024, at the age of 91.

By 1969, the group was performing backing vocals for Elvis Presley in Las Vegas. This would be Houston's last time performing with the Sweet Inspirations as she decided she wanted to stop touring so frequently to focus on her solo career and spend more time with her children.

(Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)

As a child, Houston joined her siblings in the gospel singing group the Drinkard Four, though it was later renamed the Drinkard Singers. During this time, Houston made her television debut on TV Gospel Time. The group performed regularly at church and also recorded a live album under the RCA label called "A Joyful Noise."

Her cross-genre singing style has been featured with many well-known artists such asBette Midler,Linda Ronstadt,Burt Bacharach, and Herbie Mann. She has also been the leader and driving force behind the New Hope Baptist Church Youth Inspirational Choir, which contains over 200 members, for over 50 years, and she's also been a fixture at the annual gospel music festival McDonald's Gospelfest.

Houston experienced tragedy from a young age, as her mother suffered a stroke and died of a cerebral hemorrhage three years later when Houston was only eight. When she was 18, her father died of stomach cancer. She then went to live with one of her older siblings.

Houston was born on September 30, 1933, in Newark, New Jersey. Her parents were Nitcholas Drinkard and Delia Mae Drinkard; she was their eighth and final child. Her parents had moved from Georgia to New Jersey during the Great Migration and heavily encouraged their children to get an education and be involved in church. Houston started singing in church and attended South Side High School.

Cissy Houston's career began as a backup singer for major artists likeElvis PresleyandAretha Franklinbut experienced even greater success as a solo artist. She is also the mother ofWhitney Houston. Her nieces are Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick.

Ultimately, Cissy Houston's financial journey is a testament to their success.

Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.