Teena Marie died today at 54 when her daughter found her dead at her home of an apparent heart attack. more details to come.
The
four times grammy nominated, Mary Christine Brockert had a strong
African-American influence from her godmother. Blessed with the gift of
music at a young age, the Santa Monica, California native grew up in the
historically African-American enclave of Oakwood in westside Los
Angeles. Raised on Motown music and Singing Harry Belafonte music by age
two, Ms. Marie’s self-professed “Gift from God” would become fine-tuned
as the years progressed.
As a child, she had an acting role on The
Beverly Hillbillies, credited as Tina Marie Brockert. She also sang at
the wedding of actor Jerry Lewis’s son when she was 10 years old.
Marie
worked briefly at Mar Vista’s Pup ‘n’ Taco in the mid 1970s while
attending Venice High School, where she joined the Summer Dance
Production, and also had a role in the school’s production of The Music
Man.[5] In a recent television interview she noted she drove a Chevy
Vega during this period.
