HarperCollins to Publish Memoir by Cissy Houston

Posted on June 6, 2012

HarperCollins will publish a memoir by Whitney Houston's mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston. In the memoir, Cissy will tell the story of Whitney's life, career and tragic death. Currently untitled, Houston's book is scheduled for publication on February 15, 2013.

Cissy Houston has said little publicly about her daughter Whitney' tragic and untimely death. HarperCollins says Cissy will tell the unabridged and unbelievable story of her daughter's life as well as her own, addressing Whitney's brightest and darkest moments while helping fans around the world understand the complexities of the star. A legendary gospel singer in her own right, Cissy shows how the lessons from her own musical journey helped to shape her daughter's career. She tells about teaching Whitney to use her voice and witnessing her first experiences in the music business, to keeping her daughter grounded throughout her meteoric rise to fame.

Cissy Houston says, "When I lost my daughter Nippy, the world lost one of the most beautiful voices and an extraordinarily beautiful and charitable woman. In sharing our story in this book, I hope to give her fans something to treasure, the way we all treasured Whitney. We are still receiving thousands of letters each day from her fans, and I hope reading this book will provide a deeper understanding into my daughter's true story."

A portion of the author's proceeds from the book will go to the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey where Cissy was the minister of music for fifty years.