What was tina marie cause of death

Diego Torres said. Police and paramedics were called to her home about 3 p. Born Mary Christine Brockert on March 5, , in Santa Monica, Marie was raised in a predominantly black area of Venice and began singing professionally at age 8.

She recounted later that Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. By then she already had a large following in the black community. In an effort to reach a broader pop audience, she signed on as the opening act on the Shaun Cassidy tour in , which made for an unlikely match-up. Marie quarreled with Motown over royalties and fought to be released from her contract. But it helped a lot of people, like Luther Vandross and the Mary Jane Girls and a lot of different artists, to be able to get out of their contracts.

She largely vanished from the public eye in the early s after the birth of her daughter, Alia, saying she wanted to devote herself to motherhood. That year, she was devastated by the death of James, with whom she had been touring, and stopped working for a time.

Foxy NC staff. Thank you for subscribing! Please be sure to open and click your first newsletter so we can confirm your subscription. Your email will be shared with foxync. Marie sang under various record labels, including Motown, Epic, Stax Records and Cash Money Classics, since bursting on the scene as a year-old, according to her website. Her last studio album, Congo Square, featured several collaborations. CNN's Roland S. Martin and Denise Quan contributed to this report.

Share this on:.