Teena Marie aka Lady T 1956-2010
Teena Marie, one of the few successful white performers of R&B, died on Sunday, December 26, 2010, at her home in Pasadena. She was 54.
She spent Christmas with her brother and seemed fine. She took a nap on Sunday afternoon and never woke up. Her daughter found her mother unresponsive after checking on her later in the afternoon, according to the singer’s rep Lynn Jeter.
The L.A. County Coroner’s Office will perform an autopsy Tuesday. The Pasadena Police Department does not suspect foul play and they believe that the woman died of natural causes. She reportedly suffered a grand mal seizure a month ago.
Nicknamed Lady Tee and Lady T, she wrote, produced, sang and arranged all of her songs. She was once considered a protegee of Rick James. Her favorite album was the 1980 release Irons in the Fire. She was nominated for a Grammy four times. Her single’s included Lovergirl and I’m Just a Sucker for Your Love.
The singer, whose given name was Mary Christine Brockert, had an acting role during her childhood on The Beverly Hillbillies.
Her latest studio album, Congo Square, was released in 2009. She said: “I wanted to do songs that reflected the things that I loved when I was growing up. Every single song on the record is dedicated to someone, or some musical giant that I loved.”
Teena Marie is survived by a daughter Alia Rose, who began her own singing career in 2009 under the name Rose Le Beau.
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Photos: WENN