R&B Sensation Teena Marie is dead at 54

According to her website, Teena Marie is dead. Teena, 54 year-old was born Mary Christine Brockert in Santa Monica, California. The four times Grammy Award nominee rose to fame by partnering with the late funk legend Rick James. She was a multi-instrumentalist and played the rhythm guitar, keyboards and congas.

She was found dead by her daughter, Alia Rose, after apparently dying in her sleep, manager Mike Gardner said.

The cause of death was not announced, however, the singer's publicist Lynn Jeter said that she suffered a grand mal seizure – a neurological event, marked by loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions about a month ago. Jeter also added that she had a "great" conversation on Saturday with Marie, who told her that she was excited about heading to Atlanta to perform this week in what would have been her first performance since the seizure.

According to Cathy Hughes, founder of Radio One, a broadcasting company that targets African-American and urban listeners, "Teena was a black voice trapped in a white body," "I would always tell her that she was one of the greatest vocalists of our time."

Everyone assumed that this soulful songstress was Black. It was once reported that Berry Gordy used a landscape on her first album, instead of a picture of Marie, in a move not to cause people to dismiss her because she was white. It wasn’t until Teena Marie made her Soul Train debut that everyone saw her for who she really was: the personification of “Ivory Soul.”

Among Teena's songs were "Portuguese Love," "I'm a Sucker for Your Love," "Lovergirl," and "Ooo La La La."