The cause of R&B legend Teena Marie’s death is still unknown but reports are coming in now about the singer’s history of seizures.
TMZ reports:
Teena suffered a grand mal seizure a month before her death. Close family friends tell us Teena has suffered other seizures, but the grand mal shook her up badly. We’re told she had broken two ribs after falling during that seizure.
We’re told the L.A. County Coroner’s Office found diazepam — an antiseizure drug — at Teena’s home, but friends say she had stopped taking the medicine because of side effects and began taking herbal remedies instead.
Friends also tell TMZ … Teena was so scared of having another grand mal seizure she would have someone sleep next to her at night.
Friends say on Saturday night someone slept in the same room with Teena and left in the morning. Teena was talking with her bodyguard at around 11:30 AM. She went back to bed in the early afternoon — no one was with her when she slept. Teena’s daughter checked in with her at around 1 PM and Teena was fine.
But at around 3 PM, Teena’s daughter checked in with her again, and found her unresponsive.
The Coroner has said signs point to death from natural causes. But “natural causes” could be death from a seizure.
You just don’t think about anyone dying of “natural causes” at 54. It just doesn’t seem, well, natural. Adding to the sadness surrounding Teena’s passing: her only daughter Alia Rose (who found her mother dead) just celebrated her 19th birthday on Christmas.
If you have TVOne, you can catch an encore presentation of Teena’s Unsung episode tonight at 9 pm (ET) and again at midnight.
BTW, seizures are nothing to play with…click below to watch a Dr. Oz clip about what to do in the event someone you know suffers a seizure. You could save a life!

Image via Apega/WENN
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