Teena Marie was born as Mary Christine Brockert on the 5th March 1956, in Santa Monica, California USA, of a Portuguese, Italian, Irish, and Native American heritage. She was a singer-songwriter and producer, best known for her distinctive voice in R&B and soul music; she also played rhythm guitar, keyboards, and congas. Her career started in 1964, and ended in 2010 when she passed away.
Have you ever wondered how rich Teena Marie was at the moment of her death? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Teena Marie’s net worth was as high as $3 million, earned through her successful career as a musician. In addition to being a highly popular singer, Marie also worked as a writer and producer which improved her wealth.
Teena Marie Net Worth $3 Million
Teena Marie was a daughter of Mary Anne, a home renovator, and Thomas Leslie Brockert, a construction worker. She grew up in Mission Hills, and her parents sent her to auditions when was eight years old, and Marie got her first acting role in “The Beverly Hillbillies” in 1964. Marie’s family moved to Los Angeles in 1970 where she went to Venice High School and was a member of the band called Truvair from 1974 to 1975. Later, Marie studied English Literature at Santa Monica College.
When Marie went to sign a contract with Motown Records in 1976, the label’s boss Berry Gordy was so impressed with her singing that he didn’t offer her a group contract, but a solo contract instead. She also met Rick James who decided to produce her debut album “Wild and Peaceful” in 1979, which reached No. 18 at Black Albums chart and No. 94 on the Billboard Albums. The next year, Marie released her second album “Lady T”, produced by Richard Rudolph, and it reached the No. 45 at Billboard Pop Albums and No. 18 on Top Soul Albums. Her net worth was well established.
Also in 1980, Marie recorded another album called “Irons in the Fire”, but this time she wrote and produced it too. The release was more popular than her previous two, with a single “I need Your Lovin’” reaching No. 9 at US R&B chart and No. 2 on US Dance chart. However, Marie’s next album “It Must Be Magic” (1981) was the first that achieved gold status, and it reached No. 2 at US R&B chart, with single “Square Biz” getting up to No. 3, which certainly added a lot to her net worth.
In 1982, Teena had a contract dispute with Motown Records after which she left the label, joining Columbia Records and releasing her “Robbery” (1983) album, before making her best-selling album “Starchild” in 1984. It reached No. 31 on the Billboard chart and also her single and biggest hit “Lovergirl” peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. This album significantly increased her net worth. In 1986, Marie released a rock-influenced album called “Emerald City”, but it didn’t go well with her audience, so she returned to funk and R&B in 1988 with “Naked to the World”, which made it to No. 65 on the Billboard Albums chart.
Marie later released two more albums “Ivory” (1990) and “Passion Play” (1994), which weren’t as popular as the previous ones, but her eleventh album “La Doña” (2004) peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, and No. 3 on the R&B Albums chart. Two years later, Teena recorded “Sapphire” that reached No. 3 the US R&B Albums chart and No. 24 on the Billboard 200. Most recently, Marie released “Congo Square” in 2009, and “Beautiful”, posthumously published in 2013.
Regarding her personal life, Teena Marie was never married, but she had a daughter Alia Rose, born in 1991. She had a strange accident in 2004 when a picture frame fell and hit her on the head in a hotel room. From then, Marie had seizures for the rest of her life, and on the 26th December 2010, her daughter Alia Rose found her unresponsive in Teena’s house in Pasadena. California. The autopsy showed that Marie had died from natural causes.
