Gospel singer Cissy Houston, the 79-year-old mother of the late Whitney Houston, is speaking out about her daughter one year after her death.

Cissy opened up about her grief and pain on the "Today" show Monday, clearing up rumors about her mother-daughter relationship with Whitney while expressing how much she loved the "I Will Always Love You" singer.

"They had it all wrong about her. We had a great relationship. We had no troubles," Cissy said. "People just make things up. She and I were very close."

Cissy was on the morning show to promote her new book, entitled "Remember Whitney: My Story of Love, Loss and the Night the Music Stopped." She shared her horrid memories of Whitney's life-long struggle with drugs, and her desire of to be a "good mother."

"Good families and good parents don't always have great children...it's there responsibility when they get to a certain age to choose their way. She was taught, and she knew the way," Cissy said.

When questioned about ex-husband Bobby Brown's influence on her daughter, she said, "I don't want to talk about Bobby Brown...Well I know he didn't help her. I don't blame him. Everyone is responsible for their own actions, up to a point. She was raised and she knew better."

Cissy said that despite the negativity, she is still proud of her daughter, adding in the end, "I miss her so much, I can't express it."

"My son called me and he was screaming, 'Mom, Mommy.' Then, oh God. I said, 'What is wrong, what's wrong?' He just said, 'Nippy. Nippy.' "

"I said, 'What's wrong with Nippy?' ...'Is she dead?' And he said, 'Yeah, Mommy, she's dead.' "

Oprah Winfrey sat down with Cissy in a candid interview that airs Monday on the OWN network at 10 p.m.

Tags: Whitney Houston Music