Was Cicely Tyson Related to Whitney Houston?

Vrinda Bachchan of Was Cicely Tyson Related to Whitney Houston? Vrinda Bachchan
February 3, 2021

With all the buzz around Lifetime’s upcoming documentary, ‘Whitney Houston & Bobbi Kristina: Didn’t We Almost Have It All,’ and the demise of actress Cicely Tyson (who passed away on January 28, 2021, at age 96), recent news has once again thrown their names together, making thousands of fans wonder – was Cicely Tyson related to Whitney Houston? We were curious, too, so we did a bit of digging. Here’s what we found.

Are Cicely Tyson and Whitney Houston Related?

No, Cicely Tyson was not related to Whitney Houston. Contrary to popular belief, they were not distant relatives. Some fans believe that Cicely was related to the singer-actress Dionne Warwick, and since Dionne is Whitney’s first cousin, people deduced that Cicely and Whitney were a part of the same family too. This is incorrect, though. Cicely Tyson and Dionne Warwick were close friends and colleagues, but they were not related to each other. We found no record of familial ties between Cicely and Dionne. In fact, Dionne’s heartfelt tweet after Cicely’s death addresses her as Dionne’s “dear friend.”

It is true that Dionne Warwick and Whitney Houston are first cousins through Whitney’s mother’s side. But it can be definitely established that the late and great Cicely Tyson was not part of the same family. They may not have been related, but both Cicely and Whitney were extraordinarily talented black women who defeated the odds to become iconic legends in the entertainment industry.

Cicely Tyson (born December 1924) was a great actress and fashion model with a career spanning north of seven decades. Cicely is largely remembered for her depiction of strong African-American women. During her lifetime, Cicely received numerous awards, including three Primetime Emmy Awards, four Black Reel Awards, one Screen Actors Guild Award, one Tony, an honorary Academy Award, and a Peabody. She played Constantine Jefferson in the critically-acclaimed film ‘The Help‘ and portrayed the role of Ophelia Harkness in ‘How To Get Away With Murder.’

The late Whitney Houston (born August 1963 and gone too soon in February 2012) is widely considered as one of the greatest American musicians that ever lived. She was declared to be “the most awarded female artist of all time” by Guinness World Records and remains one of the best-selling recording artists worldwide.

She is forever immortalized in her many chart-topping songs, which include “I Will Always Love You,” “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” “My Love Is Your Love,” “Saving All My Love For You,” and “All The Man That I Need.” Whitney won a total of 415 awards, including two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, sixteen Billboard Music Awards, and twenty-two American Music Awards. In 2020, 8 years after her untimely death, Whitney was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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