LOS ANGELES (AP) — Cissy Houston, the mother of the late Whitney Houston and a two-time Grammy winner who performed alongside superstar musicians such as Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, has died. She was 91.

Houston died Monday morning at her New Jersey home while under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease, her daughter-in-law Pat Houston told The Associated Press. The acclaimed gospel singer was surrounded by her family.

“Our hearts are filled with pain and sorrow. We are losing the matriarch of our family,” Pat Houston said in a statement. She said her mother-in-law’s contributions to popular music and culture are “second to none.”

“Mother Cissy has been a strong and prominent figure in our lives. A woman of deep faith and conviction, who cared deeply about family, ministry and community. Her seventy-year career in music and entertainment will remain at the forefront of our hearts.”

Houston was in the famous singing group, the Sweet Inspirations, with Doris Troy and her niece Dee Dee Warrick. The group sang backup for a variety of soul singers, including Otis Redding, Lou Rawls, The Drifters and Dionne Warwick.

The Sweet Inspirations appeared on Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and sang background vocals for The Jimi Hendrix Experience on the song “Burning of the Midnight Lamp” in 1967. The same year, Houston worked on Franklin’s classic “Ain’t No Way.”

Houston’s last performance with the Sweet Inspirations came after the group took the stage with Presley at a show in Las Vegas in 1969. Her final recording session with the group turned into their biggest R&B hit “(Gotta Find) A Brand New Lover,” a composition by the production team of Gamble & Huff, which appeared on the group’s fifth album, “Sweet Sweet Soul.”

During that time, the group performed occasionally with Franklin. After the group’s success and four albums together, Houston left The Sweet Inspirations to pursue a solo career in which she thrived.

Houston became an in-demand session singer, recording more than 600 songs across multiple genres throughout her career. Her vocals can be heard on tracks alongside a wide range of artists including Chaka Khan, Donny Hathaway, Jimi Hendrix, Luther Vandross, Beyoncé, Paul Simon, Roberta Flack and her daughter.

In 1971, Houston’s distinctive vocals were featured on Burt Bacharach’s solo album, which included “Mexican Divorce,” “All Kinds of People” and “One Less Bell to Answer.” She sang several standards, including Barbra Streisand’s hit, “Evergreen.”

Houston won Grammys for her albums “Face to Face” in 1997 and “He Leadeth Me” the following year in the best traditional soul gospel album category.

Houston wrote three books: “He Leadeth Me,” “How Sweet The Sound: My Life with God and Gospel” and “Remembering Whitney: A Mother’s Story of Life, Loss and The Night The Music Stopped.”

In 1938, Cissy Houston began her career when she formed the gospel group The Drinkard Four with her sister Anne and brothers Larry and Nicky, which recorded one album. She attended New Hope Baptist Church, where she later became Minister of Sacred Music.

Houston was the youngest of eight children.

“We are touched by your generous support and your outpouring of love during our deep time of grief,” Houston said on behalf of the family. “We respectfully request our privacy during this difficult time.”