John Russell Houston, a former military officer, became an entertainment mogul. He is famous for being the former spouse of the late singer, Cissy Houston and the father of the late singer and actress Whitney Houston.
John Russell Houston Bio Details
Full name: John Russell Houston
Date of birth: September 13, 1920
Gender: Male
Nationality: American
Hometown: Trenton, Mercer Country, New Jersey, USA
Father’s name: John Russell Houston Sr.
Mother’s name: Sarah Elizabeth Collins Houston
Sexual orientation: Straight
Horoscope: Virgo
Children: 5
Profession: Army serviceman and entertainment executive
Who was John Russell Houston?
Whitney’s passion for music was greatly shaped by her mother, Cissy Houston, who had a successful singing career. Additionally, her father, John Russell Houston, who worked as an entertainment talent manager, exposed her to the inner workings of the media industry.
John owned an entertainment company and provided support to both Cissy and Whitney throughout their music careers at different times. It is believed that Whitney’s father played a role in securing deals and overseeing various aspects of her career.
Married Life
Throughout his lifetime, John was married three times. The name of his first wife is not mentioned on any websites. In 1959, he tied the knot with Cissy Houston, with whom he had a son named Michael and a daughter named Whitney.
They had a successful marriage until they ended up getting divorced after being together for over thirty years. They officially divorced in 1990.
After that, he married Barbara Peggy Houston and they stayed together until John passed away. They had a daughter named Alana Houston. He also had a son named John Russell Houston III from his relationship with Elsie Hamilton.
Ex-Wife Cissy Houston
Cissy Houston, born Emily Drinkard, gained recognition for her role as a backup singer for renowned artists including Roy Hamilton and Aretha Franklin. She has been honored with two Grammy Awards.
Emily was born on September 30, 1933, in Newark, New Jersey, and was raised with seven siblings. Her parents are Nicholas and Delia Mae Drinkard.
In 1938, Emily joined her older brothers’ band to begin her singing career. She is a versatile artist and has achieved great success. In 1955, she tied the knot with Freddie Garland, but their marriage only lasted two years. They have one child together. At the age of 86, Emily is currently battling dementia.
John Russell Houston’s Famous Daughter- Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston was born on August 9, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey, USA, and her given name is Whitney Elizabeth Houston. On her mother’s side, she has an older brother named Michael Houston and a half-brother named Gary Garland, who is a renowned former professional basketball player.
She was trained in singing by her mother during her childhood. At eleven years old, she joined the New Hope Baptist Church choir in Newark. Her most well-known track is ‘I Will Always Love You.’ In 1992, she tied the knot with singer Bobby Brown.
The couple had a child and got divorced in 2007. On February 11, 2012, she was found unresponsive in her hotel room and died by drowning in the bathtub. She was officially pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. on the same day.
The exact cause of death was not initially revealed, however, it was later disclosed in the report that the individual drowned and also suffered from heart disease and cocaine consumption.
John’s $100 Million Lawsuit Against Whitney Houston
In 2003, John’s company sued Whitney Houston for allegedly not compensating them for their assistance in negotiating a record deal.
MTV News reported that Whitney enlisted her father’s firm to handle various business and personal affairs on her behalf. One of their tasks was to negotiate a contract extension with Arista Records in 2001, which was valued at $100 million for Whitney.
According to the lawsuit, Whitney allegedly failed to compensate her father’s company appropriately for the services they claimed to have rendered, resulting in John’s company taking legal action against her for $100 million.
During her appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Whitney revealed that her father’s actions were swayed by those in his surroundings and that his declining health made him susceptible.
John Russell’s Death
On February 2, 2003, John passed away in Fort Lee, Bergen County, New Jersey, USA. He was 83 years old and had been struggling with diabetes and heart issues for a significant period of time, and his condition had worsened. He was buried at the Fairview Cemetery in New Jersey, USA.
