Singer Teena Marie, Dead at Age 54 after suffering a Grand Mal Seizure

The first time I saw Teena Marie, I was working with Rick James. This tiny girl came walking into his office with a kinda confident swagger and I remember thinking “She’s her?”.  This tiny white girl has “THAT” voice, wow?.   I didn’t see her again until I was in the Record Plant studio in Sausalito watching Rick record tracks for his Street Songs album.  It was probably 2am, I had fallen asleep, when someone said “Wake Up” Teena’s  here and they’re gonna cut “Fire and Desire”.   A few minutes later they went into the booth and recorded the song, in one take.  I was flabbergasted. There was this little girl, with this big heart who in that moment only had eye’s for Rick, their chemistry and connection was obvious and it showed up in a recording that still sounds great today.

Not only did the song hold up over time, but so did her amazing voice.  I had the opportunity to watch her perform for a small group of friends and family in tribute to Fuller Gordy 2 years ago, and I remember being taken aback again as she sang and thinking “She actually sounds better now than she did then”.

The gifts you gave us all, your incredible spunk, voice and spirit will live forever.

RIP Teena

The world has lost another R&B legend this year. Grammy Award-nominated R&B singer Teena Marie has died at age 54. 
        
Just two days ago, the R&B singer tweeted, "19 yrs ago today, I was in labor! My heavenly father gave me the most glorious gift I could ever receive. A Baby girl on Christmas!"

Today (Dec. 26), Teena Marie was found by her daughter after apparently dying in her sleep, manager Mike Gardner confirmed to CNN.

A platinum-selling artist, Teena Marie was most known for hits such as "Ooo La La La," "Lovergirl," "Portuguese Love" and "Square Biz." The singer, known to her legions of fans as "Lady T," is also remembered for her tumultuous relationship with late singer Rick James, with whom she recorded "Fire and Desire," arguably one of the greatest R&B duets of all time.
        
The cause of death was not immediately known, but Marie's publicist, Lynn Jeter, told CNN that a month ago, the singer suffered a grand mal seizure, which is characterized by a period of unconsciousness.
        
Born Marie Christine Brockert in Santa Monica, Calif., Marie released 13 studio albums over the course of her career. She was signed to Motown Records in 1976 and as a White female she held her own in the predominately African-American genre of soul music. Marie also wrote and composed a lot of her music and she played rhythm guitar, keyboards and congas.

Hip-hop groups such as The Fugees ("Fugeela") and The Firm, a '90s super-group helmed by Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ and Nature ("Firm Biz") sampled Marie's music, cementing an impressive, transcendent musical legacy.