Teena Marie Passes Away

[Soulsista]

My favorite from her is "I Need Your Lovin'". Hard to believe that both she AND Rick James are gone now.

RIP.

[Luckie Starchild]

^^ That's the jam!

My favorite Lady Tee album is Ivory. I'm glad that I got to see her in concert a few times... she was amazing!

[Caviar]

OMG! Another legend dies around Christmas. *sigh*

[Deleted]

The autopsy is being performed later in the week to determine cause of death. There are some rumors going around that after she was diagnosed with tonic-clonic epilepsy, the doctors put her on medication to control the seizures. She claimed the medication was giving her suicidal thoughts so she reduced the dosage... and here we are. We will have to see what exactly caused her death though

[hitseeker.]

RIP :(

[Luckie Starchild]

Dec 27, 2010 16:02:35 GMT -5 @jazzysoul47 said:

The autopsy is being performed later in the week to determine cause of death. There are some rumors going around that after she was diagnosed with tonic-clonic epilepsy, the doctors put her on medication to control the seizures. She claimed the medication was giving her suicidal thoughts so she reduced the dosage... and here we are. We will have to see what exactly caused her death though

In 1988, she had a really bad fall from the stage during a concert and suffered from an addiction to painkillers over the years... and I wonder if that was a contributing factor.

[Luckie Starchild]

Tribute from Lenny Kravitz:

[Nick]

I saw that earlier. Very touching tribute.

[Deleted]

Dec 27, 2010 17:32:46 GMT -5 Nick said:

I saw that earlier. Very touching tribute.

I agree.

The LA Times did a nice write up on her career. They also posted an interview they did with her in 1980 that focused mostly on what it was like to be a white artist trying to be embraced by a black audience.

latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/2010/12/teena-marie-1956-2010-i-wish-i-was-colorless.html

Appreciating Teena Marie: 'The Ivory Queen of Soul' made R&B colorless

It’s impossible to lend an ear to today’s crop of R&B divas without hearing just a little bit of Teena Marie.

Though she never had the blockbuster commercial success or universal household appeal of some of her peers (Patti Labelle, Anita Baker and Whitney Houston quickly come to mind), Marie -- who died Sunday at age 54 -- left a perhaps more important, and lasting, contribution to R&B than record sales: She made the genre colorless.

Venturing through the self-proclaimed Ivory Queen of Soul’s back catalog, it’s easy to see how everyone from Mary J. Blige to Faith Evans to Alicia Keys got some of their groove. However, Marie’s career was forever highlighted by the fact that she was a white woman singing historically black music -- something that doesn’t even remotely warrant a second guess in today’s landscape of artists of every race tackling any genre and gaining success.

But Marie was always different. Though she never catapulted into the more bankable pop world, she broke ground.

After the Santa Monica-born songstress got her big break at Motown Records in the late '70s, she rode a wave of hits -- "Lovergirl," "I'm a Sucker for Your Love" "Ooh La La La" and "Square Biz" are all required listening -- and Marie was a girl whose debut album, “Wild and Peaceful,” famously opted not to include a photo of her on the cover, out of fear that R&B listeners might not buy or accept her because of her race.

Marie did what at the time was thought to be the impossible: crossing over to black radio and retail stores -- and staying there. She could have easily become a novelty act because of her color, but she didn’t.

And how could she?

Whether you were slow dancing to “Fire and Desire” (a simmering duet with her mentor and frequent collaborator, the late Rick James) in the '80s or a kid digging through their parent's album collection and discovering the upbeat frenzy of “Square Biz,” Lady T found her way into the hearts of every R&B fan.

Unlike some rap purists who downplayed Eminem as he was rising, Marie made it impossible to question her authenticity. She sang with such passion, conviction and blues that she was often labeled “a black girl trapped in a white woman’s body.” Her extensive catalog is pure R&B, though the girl had funk -- watching her behind the rhythm guitar, keyboards or percussion, she had the swagger of the big boys, including James. But she was all her own.

Her showmanship -- the way she worked the stage with that big brazen hair, seductive dance moves and that voice -- erased any naysayers who might have said that whites couldn’t sing soul.

The Times obituary of Marie mentions a 1981 performance at the Long Beach Arena that seemed to define her standing: "A tiny young woman with a powerful voice, Marie is a terrific singer and, quite frankly, better than nearly all her black competitors."

Current soulful acts such as Amy Winehouse, Adele, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke might cite James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Michael Jackson as inspirations into the world of rhythm and blues, but had Marie not crossed over, R&B might not be the embracing, ever-evolving genre that it is today.

In a 1980 interview with The Times, Marie talked at length about how some listeners refused to believe she was white.

"I tell them I'm white, but they think I'm black and I'm trying to pass for white.... This is white skin. I'm not trying to fool anybody.

"I'm a different kind of person. Blacks and whites don't really react in any special way to me. I don't get anything negative from blacks and not really anything negative from whites now. But I will say it was different before I started getting some popularity. I don't think it was prejudice from whites as much as ignorance of something they didn't know much about. You know, I wish I was colorless sometimes."

[Kishi KCM]

A family favorite, she is such an amazing gift. I love her music dearly, she is REAL soul.

Portuguese Love = my favorite.

[Deleted]

Dec 27, 2010 17:53:13 GMT -5 Kishi KCM said:

A family favorite.

Same here. Very heavy play from my parents as a kid.

Very sad. At such a young age too. R.I.P.

[Nick]

Just saw channel 2 news covered this. Teena deserves all the love she is getting. Twitter is still tweeting about her sudden death.

[lucylu]

I love her music and was looking forward to seeing her live.

[Deleted]

Its been confirmed that no illegal drugs were found in her home. Friends of Teena say that she wasnt even taking her prescribed Diazepam and that she was trying to treat her seizures naturally

Some other celebrities have spoken out on Twitter and to the press

Mary J. Blige
"Rest in peace Teena Marie. My Love for u is forever."

Common
"Teena and I are both Pisces and we believe that we've been here before. That's why 'De Ja Vu' is my favorite song."

Alicia Keys
“God bless Teena Marie & her Family!Sending Blessings &prayers I was jus sayin tht fire & desire is 1 of the most beautifully performd songs!”

Diddy
“R.I.P Teena Marie. God Bless. Damn I just saw her the other day.”

Gamble & Huff
"We're shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden loss of Teena Marie," legendary producers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff said in a statement. "She was one of the most memorable, soulful and unique R&B vocalists to come out of Motown. We send our condolences to Teena's family, the entire Motown family and of course, our dear friend Berry Gordy.

[Mr. Wonder]

Is she experiencing any sales spikes?

[WotUNeed]

Dec 28, 2010 8:02:57 GMT -5 Mr. Wonder said:

Is she experiencing any sales spikes?

Ultimate Collection is in the top ten of Amazon's bestsellers in music.

[Mr. Wonder]

^^^She's got 7 albums in the top 100.

[Deleted]

Two days later and Teena is still a trending topic on Twitter

[Fresh]

www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/genre/rock-and-pop/lenny-kravitz-says-he-wouldn-t-be-here-if-1004137275.story

Lenny Kravitz Says He 'Wouldn't Be Here If It Wasn't For Teena Marie;' Singer Took Him Off the Streets

While many artists have reacted online to the death of Teena Marie on Sunday (Dec. 26), Lenny Kravitz details the special bond that he and the R&B singer shared in a new video that hit the web a day later. Speaking to the camera, Kravitz describes how Marie took him into her home when he was a teenage musician and concludes, "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Teena."

Kravitz, who wears a hood and speaks softly in the clip, says that when he was a 16-year-old "musician on the street," Marie gave him a bedroom, cooked for him, brought him to concerts and encouraged his musical talents by buying him instruments. "I've never really talked much about it in depth, but I would not be here. She changed my life, not only as an artist, but as a person," the 46-year-old rocker tells the camera.

Marie, the "Ivory Queen of Soul" best known for her hit "Lovegirl" and for her work with mentor Rick James, was found dead on Sunday at the age of 54. Dozens of musical stars, including Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys and Diddy, took to Twitter on Monday (Dec. 27) to offer their condolences.

Kravitz, who can be heard on the Michael Jackson posthumous release "Michael," says that he found out about the death when he woke up in Paris on Monday morning. While he says that he and Marie had been out of touch for the last few years, Kravitz addresses the singer and says, "Teena, I will always love and respect you. Thank you for being my friend."

[Deleted]

Teena and Lenny collaborated on Main Squeeze from 1994's Passion Play-- one of my favorite latter day Teena songs

[Nick]

^Being an independent release at the time, this is hard to find now.

[Glove Slap]

Tragic. Her 80s catalog is nothing short of fantastic.

RIP Lady T :(.

[Luckie Starchild]

Lady Tee, The Once and Future Queen!

[CookyMonzta]

Dec 30, 2010 16:40:49 GMT -5 Nick said:

^Being an independent release at the time, this is hard to find now.

Maybe, maybe not. But prepare to pay at least $40, maybe $50, at eBay if you want it.

[Deleted]

The autopsy revealed no signs of trauma and they are still not sure what caused her death. They are waiting on the toxicology results which take 6 weeks. However no illegal drugs were found in her home.

[Deleted]

I'm surprised there is still no cause of death.