Teena Marie

American R&B / soul singer, songwriter and producer.

Born on March 5, 1956 in Santa Monica, California, United States.

Died on December 26, 2010 in Pasadena, California, United States (aged 54).

Mother of singer [a=Alia Rose]. Godmother of [a=Maya Rudolph] and [a=Nona Gaye].

Also known as Lady Tee and the Ivory Queen Of Soul. Probably best known for her work on the [l=Motown] label during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and her 1984 crossover hit Lovergirl. Introduced to [l=Motown] producer [a=Hal Davis] by her friend and occasional co-writer [a=Mickey Hearn]. [a=Rick James] produced and co-wrote various songs on her debut album [i]Wild And Peaceful[/i], duetting with Teena on 3 songs. Teena also duetted with [a=Howard Hewett], [a=George Duke], and [a=Faith Evans]. She contributed songs to the soundtracks for [i]The Goonies[/i], [i]Top Gun[/i], and [i]Tap[/i], and guested on [a=Danny Tenaglia]'s 1998 album Tourism as a singer for Baby, Do You Feel Me?. Her R&B No. 1 hit Ooo La La La was sampled on [a=Fugees]'s 1995 hit Fu-Gee-La.