Bobby Brown is paying tribute to his late former mother-in-law, Cissy Houston. On Monday, October 7, Whitney Houston’s mother, a musical icon in her right, died at 91. In light of the news, the New Edition star and his wife, Alicia Etheredge-Brown, shared their condolences, per People magazine.
“Sending love and blessings to the Houston family on this great loss,” Brown told the publication. “May she rest in Peace and Power. The Browns.”
Brown was married to Cissy’s daughter, the late Whitney Houston, from 1992 to 2007. Known for their tumultuous relationship, the couple battled alcoholism and addiction in addition to marital issues. Over the course of their 15-year marriage, their individual struggles with substance abuse escalated, and the two divorced in April 2007.
After multiple attempts at rehab, Houston died in 2012 after accidentally drowning in a bathtub at the Beverly Hills Hotel on the eve of that year’s Grammy Awards ceremony. In the wake of her daughter’s passing, Cissy remained very protective of Whitney’s legacy. So much so that she called out her former son-in-law for the “disturbing” ways he spoke about his relationship with Whitney in his 2016 “20/20” interview.
“I am deeply disappointed that this interview to promote the story of Bobby’s life seemed to be more of an exposé on Whitney’s life,” Cissy told Essence magazine following the interview. “My problem with Bobby has always been that he became her husband, but not her helpmate or protector.”
As previously reported by theGrio, Cissy died in her New Jersey home while under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease. According to her daughter-in-law Pat Houston, the award-winning gospel singer was surrounded by family at the time of her passing.
“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We [lost] the matriarch of our family,” Pat Houston said in a statement noting Cissy’s “unparalleled” impact on music and culture. “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.”
She continued, “We are blessed and grateful that God allowed her to spend so many years with us and we are thankful for all the many valuable life lessons that she taught us. May she rest in peace, alongside her daughter, Whitney and granddaughter Bobbi Kristina and other cherished family members.”