Teena Marie is a late American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, composer, and producer. Teena Marie was often referred to as the “Ivory Queen of Soul” or “Lady T.” Some of her most popular songs include “Lovergirl,” “Square Biz,” “Fire and Desire” (a duet with Rick James), and “Portuguese Love.”
Early Life
Teena Marie was born in Santa Monica, California, United States, on March 5, 1956. Her full name is Mary Christine Brockert and held American nationality. At the age of 54, she passed away and she had a sun sign of Pisces. Further, she belongs to a mixed ethnicity of Puerto Rican, Portuguese, Italian, Irish, and Native American descent.
The names of her parents are Thomas Leslie Brockert(father) and Mary Anne(mother). By profession, her father was a construction worker while her mother was a home renovator. As a child, she was raised in Mission Hills, California.
Childhood Days
She sang Harry Belafonte’s “Banana Boat Song” at the age of two, prompting her parents to enrol her in a music class. At the age of eight, she appeared on “The Beverly Hillbillies” as Tina Marie Brockert. She later learned to play guitar, bass, and congas. She and her brother, Anthony, and cousin created a semi-professional R&B band.
Later in the 1970s, her family relocated to Venice, Los Angeles, where she resided in the historically black Venice neighbourhood of Oakwood, sometimes known as “Venice Harlem,” where Berthalynn Jackson, the community matriarch who would become her godmother, had a significant spiritual effect on her.
Education
In terms of her academics, she attended Venice High School. While attending school, she participated in the Summer Dance Production and played the female lead in The Music Man.
From 1974 to 1975, she and her high school classmates founded the local Venice rock band “Truvair”. After graduating, she auditioned for many record labels while studying English literature at Santa Monica College.
Teena Marie – Death
Teena Marie was asleep in a hotel room in 2004 when a large picture frame dropped and hit her on the head. The strike resulted in a significant concussion that left her with periodic seizures for the rest of her life.
Teena Marie’s daughter, Alia Rose, discovered her dead at her Pasadena home on the afternoon of December 26, 2010. The coroner of Los Angeles County conducted an autopsy on December 30, 2010, and discovered no signs of clear trauma or a detectable cause of death, concluding that she died of natural causes. A month earlier, she experienced a generalized tonic-clonic seizure.
Professional Career
Teena Marie began her professional singing career in 1976 when she fronted a band with her longtime friend Mickey Boyce for Motown Records. Moreover, she maintained her career by recording unreleased tracks for several years before being discovered by labelmate Rick James.
On March 31, 1979, she released her debut album, “Wild and Peaceful,” which included her first top-ten R&B single, “I’m a Sucker for Your Love.” On February 14, 1980, her second album “Lady T” was released. Her third album, “Irons in the Fire,” was released in 1980, just six months after the second. “It Must Be Magic” was her fourth album, which was released on May 14, 1981.
Caption: Teena Marie performing in a program (Source: Singersroom.com)
After a disagreement with Motown’s contract, she secured an international deal with Columbia Records. “Starchild” was her best-selling album of 1984. The album featured her biggest song, “Lovergirl,” which reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.
She released the concept album “Emerald City” in 1986, which was influenced by rock music. On March 21, 1988, she released her eighth album, “Naked to the World.” In 1994, she released “Passion Play” on her indie company, Sarai Records. In 2004, she released her eleventh album, “La Doña”. It became her most successful album, ranking at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 list.
Teena Marie was finishing up her album “Beautiful” when she died. It was completed posthumously by her daughter Alia Rose and released on January 15, 2013. On July 11, 2011, a limited edition album named “First Class Love: Rare Tee” was released featuring previously unheard songs discovered throughout her Motown career.
Awards
The late R&B singer was named the 2023 Grammy Award winner for Cuff It. In addition, the late singer has also received nominations for four Grammy Awards.
Net Worth 2024
At the time of her death, her estimated net worth was around $3 million. Other than this, her salary, annual income, and assets have not been disclosed yet.
Relationship Status
Till the time of her death, Teena Marie was never married. In the past, she was in a relationship with Rick James, an American singer-songwriter. They have dated throughout their careers. However, the romance did not last long and ultimately ended.
Caption: Teena Marie with her daughter (Source: Facebook)
She gave birth to a daughter called Alia Rose in 1991. Moreover, she resided in several neighbourhoods in greater Los Angeles, including Santa Monica, Inglewood, Pasadena, and Marina Del Rey. Moreover, she was a godmother to Maya Rudolph, Minnie Riperton’s daughter, and Nona Gaye, daughter of Marvin Gaye. She also looked after Rick James’s son, Rick, Jr., and family friend Jeremiah O’Neal.
Teena Marie – Body Measurements
Caption: Teena Marie with her daughter at an award function (Source: Daily Mail)
The late singer is 5 feet tall and weighs around 59 kg. Moreover, she has curly dark brown hair with brown eyes.
Social Media
The R&B singer is no longer alive in this world. In addition, she is not present on any kinds of social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
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