R.I.P. Teena Marie

It is with great sadness that we report confirmation that soul legend Teena Marie passed away at 54 years old. At this time, the exact cause of death is not known. TMZ is reporting she died in her sleep last night and had a seizure a little over a month ago. However, relatives of told TMZ they spoke to her that day and she seemed “fine.” Foul play is not suspected and looks like she passed of natural causes.

Lady T, as she was known, was born Mary Christine Brockert in Santa Monica, Calif. In 1976, she signed with the legendary Motown Records and her debut album, Wild and Peaceful, was released in 1979, garnering hits “I’m a Sucker For Your Love” and “Déjà Vu (I’ve Been Here Before).”

It was Marie’s collaboration with Rick James that catapulted her to superstardom; most notably, the duet “Fire & Desire,” which Marie performed for the last time with Rick James at the 2004 BET Awards.

Teena Marie had the unique experience of being one of few White artists to be so strongly embraced by the African-American community. She was a fixture in the early days of BET and always had consistent airplay on R&B radio.

On a personal note, I interviewed Teena Marie twice. She was just as I thought she would be — kind and down to earth. Back in May 2009 we talked about her latest album, Congo Square, and I asked, “When you get to heaven, what is the DJ playing?” — she responded with:

I’m sure it’s Aretha Franklin. I’m sure it’s something off the Amazing Grace album. Probably, Aretha Franklin “Wholy Holy.” I hope when Rick James went to heaven they played Aretha Franklin “Wholy Holy” too. He loved her as much as I did. I have a lot of beautiful moments riding around with him in his Rolls, me and him just playing Aretha all day.

Here is a clip of Teena Marie singing “His Eye Is On The Sparrow” from BET’s Celebration of Gospel in 2009.