DJ COMMUNITY

Diddy, Sheila E., Mary J., More Remember Teena Marie

*The sudden death of Teena Marie has generated shock and sadness among her fans and friends in the music industry, many of whom took to Twitter to share memories and express condolences, reports MTV.

Diddy tweeted: “R.I.P Teena Marie. God Bless. Damn I just saw her the other day.”

Mary J. Blige also took to Twitter to pay her final respects to the influential artist, who was a friend and protégé of Rick James’. “Rest in peace Teena Marie,” Blige wrote. “My Love for u is forever.”

Common cited their shared astrological sign as a reason he felt so connected to her music. “Teena and I are both Pisces and we believe that we’ve been here before,” he tweeted. “That’s why ‘De Ja Vu’ is my favorite song.”

Prince protégé Sheila E, also shared how much she will miss the singer on Twitter. “I will miss my girl Teena Marie, Real music by real people. God bless my sistah and her family. U will be missed.”

R&B songwriting duo Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff, who wrote hits like “If You Don’t Know Me by Now,” the “Soul Train” theme song and “Back Stabbers,” remembered the singer in a statement: “We’re shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden loss of Teena Marie. She was one of the most memorable, soulful and unique R&B vocalists to come out of Motown. We send our condolences to Teena’s family, the entire Motown family and of course, our dear friend Berry Gordy.”

Teena Marie sings to Motown founder Berry Gordy (L) during a tribute honoring Gordy at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Heart Foundation in Beverly Hills, in this June 7, 2008 file photo.

Eddie Levert, founder of the O’Jays, recalled Marie’s personal and professional contributions in a statement to CNN. “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.”

Marie was known for hits like “Lovergirl” and “Square Biz.” Her daughter found her dead Sunday. No cause of death has been released, but her publicist said Marie suffered a grand mal seizure a month ago, from which she was still recovering.