Teena Marie and Rick James created one of the greatest love duets in the history of soul music. Their performance of “Fire and Desire” is a testament to the transformatove power of love.
For music lovers and Motown enthusiasts, they were the funk era’s version of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.
However, the beautiful songs that James and Marie created in the studio were a far cry from the issues that they dealt with in real life. Both artists battled drug addictions over the course of their careers.
James battled cocaine addiction until his death. He claimed to have spent as much as $7,000 per week on drugs and served 15 months in prison beginning in 1993 for imprisoning a girl in his home and torturing her with a cocaine pipe for three days.
James died in 2004, and an autopsy revealed that the soul-funk legend had more than nine illegal drugs in his system.
Marie soon became depressed after her mentor’s death and became addicted to Vicodin. She recently told reporters that she was able to kick the habit after three years. However, the damage that drugs did to to her body over the years may have played a role in her death.
Marie and James are examples of how drugs can and have destroyed some artists in the music business. Motown’s history is replete with tragic examples. Hopefully, artists such as T.I., Gucci Mane and Bruno Mars will have the presence of mind and discipline to learn from their predecessors’ mistakes. –amir shaw
