Soul star Teena Marie dies at 54

Teena Marie, who made history as Motown's first white singer, has died.

Marie (54) was first signed to the legendary label in 1979 at the age of 19, working with mentor Rick James, with whom she would have a long, turbulent but musically magical relationship.

The cover of her album Wild And Peaceful did not feature her image, with Motown apparently fearing a backlash by audiences if they found out she was white.

But Marie notched her first hit, I'm A Sucker For Your Love, and became one of R&B's most revered queen with hits like Lovergirl, Square Biz and Fire And Desire with James.

Marie had a daughter and had toured in recent years after overcoming an addiction to prescription drugs.