( CNN ) -- Teena Marie , a celebrated R & B singer-songwriter , was found dead Sunday at her California home , her manager said . Born Mary Christine Brockert in Santa Monica , California , the 54-year-old artist famously paired with late funk legend Rick James and was nominated four times for a Grammy Award , according to her official website . Marie was found dead by her daughter after apparently dying in her sleep , manager Mike Gardner said . `` Teena was a black voice trapped in a white body , '' said Cathy Hughes , founder of Radio One , a broadcasting company that targets African-American and urban listeners . `` I would always tell her that she was one of the greatest vocalists of our time . '' Among her songs were `` Lovergirl , '' `` Portuguese Love , '' `` Ooo La La La , '' and `` I 'm a Sucker for Your Love . '' While no cause of death has been released , the singer 's publicist Lynn Jeter said that Marie suffered a grand mal seizure -- a neurological event , marked by loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions , according to the Mayo Clinic -- a month ago . `` Luckily , someone was there , '' Jeter said of that seizure . `` The ambulance took her to the hospital , and on the way she had another seizure . '' The publicist said that she had a `` great '' conversation on Saturday with Marie , who told her that she was excited about heading to Atlanta to perform this week -- in what would have been her first performance since the seizure . Marie sang under various record labels , including Motown , Epic , Stax Records and Cash Money Classics , since bursting on the scene as a 19-year-old , according to her website . Her last studio album , Congo Square , featured several collaborations . `` I am horrified by the sudden death of my darling Teena Marie , '' Motown founder Berry Gordy said in a statement sent by his publicist . `` She was my 'baby , ' always true to herself , always true to her heart . '' Berry called her a `` powerhouse performer , writer , producer and arranger . '' `` When I first auditioned her she was so awesome she blew me away , '' Gordy said . `` She had so much soul -- the only thing white about her was her skin . '' `` The enduring influence of Teena 's inspirational , trailblazing career , could only have been made possible through her brilliant song-writing , showmanship and high energy passion which laid the ground work for the future generations of R & B , hip-hop , and soul , '' said Gene Rumsey , chief label officer with Concord Music Group . `` We feel extremely fortunate to have worked with a visionary who changed music in indelible ways . '' Eddie Levert , founder of the vocal group The O'Jays , praised Marie as both a singer and mother . `` There are a lot of black people who swore by her and believed in her , as far as her music was concerned , '' he said . `` She was a good mom , and to me , that is saying a lot . '' CNN 's Roland S. Martin and Denise Quan contributed to this report .
`` She was one of the greatest vocalists of our time , '' says the founder of Radio One . The singer is also a great friend to her fans and has been known for being very generous with her time. She had a three-decade career in music , and was nominated four times for a Grammy . She had worked with late funk legend Rick James , Smokey Robinson and others .