LOS ANGELES – Teena Marie, who made history as Motown's first white 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.
The confirmation came from a publicist, Jasmine Vega, who worked with Teena Marie on her last album. Her manager, Mike Gardner, also confirmed her death to CNN.
Teena Marie, known as the "Ivory Queen of Soul," was certainly not the first white act to sing soul music, but she was arguably among the most gifted and respected, and was thoroughly embraced by the black audience.
She was first signed to the legendary Motown label back in 1979 at age 19, working with James, with whom she would have long, turbulent but musically magical relationship.
The cover of her album, "Wild and Peaceful," did not feature her image, with Motown apparently fearing backlash by audiences if they found out the songstress with the dynamic voice was white.
But Marie notched her first hit, "I'm A Sucker for Your Love," and was on her way to becoming one of R&B's most revered queens. During her tenure with Motown, the singer-songwriter and musician produced passionate love songs and funk jam songs like "Need Your Lovin'," "Behind the Groove" and "Ooh La La La."
Marie had a daughter and had toured in recent years after overcoming an addiction to prescription drugs
updated 9:19pm
(CNN) -- Teena Marie, an award-winning R&B singer-songwriter, was found dead Sunday at her California home, her manager said.
Born Mary Christine Brockert in Santa Monica, California, the 54-year-old artist famously paired with late funk legend Rick James and was nominated four times for a Grammy Award, according to her official website.
Marie was found dead by her daughter after apparently dying in her sleep, manager Mike Gardner said.
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.
updated 8:37pm
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.
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.
updated @ 7:46pm
Although details are slim, soul singer Teena Marie has allegedly passed away.
The singer known for her soulful hits such as "Lovegirl" and her lengendary duet with Rick James has passed at the age of 54.
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 "
Soul singer Ron Isley also verified the death via twitter, but some celebrities are saying that the singer is not dead.
Hiphopwired is working on finding out the facts and will keep you updated with the latest information regarding the death.
Got this info from Hiphip Wired
i use to love this song when i was a kid
Teena Marie Lovergirl Video
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