Teena Marie –
In this 2005 file image originally released by Universal Music, musician Teena Marie is shown. Marie, who made history as Motown’s first white female act but developed a lasting legacy with her silky soul pipes and with hits like “Lovergirl,” “Square Biz,” and “Fire and Desire” with mentor Rick James, has died. She was 54. (AP Photo/Universal Music, Tracy Jones, file)
UPDATE: Martin reports that Marie’s manager told him that Marie’s daughter found her dead in her home today, and that she suffered a seizure last month. To follow the story,·head over to Martin’s Twitter feed.
Radio station WDASFM was one of the first stations to break the news when they tweeted:
“wdasfm We regret to inform you that Music Legend Teena Marie has died at the age of 54. Tributes and further details soon at “
UPDATE: Martin reports that Marie’s manager told him that Marie’s daughter found her dead in her home today, and that she suffered a seizure last month. To follow the story, head over to Martin’s Twitter feed.
According to Roland Martin, R&B singer Teena Marie has passed away at the age of 54. Martin cites Marie’s manager, Mike Gardner.
Philadelphia radio station WDAS, was the first to report the news; Chicago radio station V103 is also is reporting the death.
While no cause of death has been released, the singer’s publicist Lynn Jeter said that Marie suffered a grand mal seizure — a neurological event, marked by loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions, according to the Mayo Clinic — a month ago.
“Luckily, someone was there,” Jeter said of that seizure. “The ambulance took her to the hospital, and on the way she had another seizure.”
The publicist said that she had a “great” conversation on Saturday with Marie, who told her that she was excited about heading to Atlanta to perform this week — in what would have been her first performance since the seizure.”
Marie sang under various record labels, including Motown, Epic and Cash Money Classics, since bursting on the scene as a 19-year-old, according to her website. Her most recent album, Sapphire, features collaborations with Smokey Robinson, Kurupt and Gerald Albright.
Born Marie Christine Brockert, Teena Marie rose to prominence in the late 70s and 80s, striking a musical and personal partnership with funk legend Rick James. She released 13 studio albums, six of which went platinum on the US R&B chart. Two of her albums went platinum, and six altogether were gold.
Marie’s biggest hit came in 1984 with her single ‘Lovergirl,’ which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Source: Huffington Post / CNN
