The renowned R&B singer, song writer, musician and producer Teena Marie was found dead on Sunday in her home in California.  Known as the Ivory Queen of Soul as one of the few white artists to truly succeed and be accepted in the Motown genre by all audiences, the music legend was nominated four times for a Grammy Award and worked closely with Rick James, also legend in his own right.

Marie had multiple hit songs, including some of her best known, “Poruguese Love” and “I’m a Sucker for Your Love”.  Marie is considered by many to be one of the greatest vocalists of our time, and the fact that she was readily accepted by the discerning audience of R&B spoke powerfully of her talent.  She got her start as a back up singer for Smokey Robinson, and then paired with Rick James for her debut album Wild and Peaceful, which began a successful run of critically acclaimed releases.  She went on to become a music icon and to later develop her own record label, and after a 10 year break, made a come back as a singer-songwriter.

Marie apparently died in her sleep, and was discovered by her daughter.  The official cause of death has not been released, however Marie’s publicist did indicate that she had suffered from a grand mal seizure not long ago, and a possible recurrence is likely to be related to her death.  Teena Marie will be greatly missed by many, including her primarily African American fan base, as well as a sizable group of musicians and artists from all music genres.

Teen Marie’s entire collection of Albums are available via CD or MP3 download in the Amazon Teena Marie Store.  There is also a nice selection of books related to Teena Marie’s career.

source:  CNN.com