My heart just breaks for her family. She seemed like such a classy lady and 54 is damned young to die. "Lovergirl" won my heart back in the 80s, and that is not even close to some of Teena's best work apparently, as I've heard both past and current material recently.
One critic referred to her vocal talent as being pitch-perfect; being a musician, I will have to second that. The music, no matter how electronic and / or funky, NEVER was there to cover over her vocal talent, and man the girl could sing.
I'm just shell-shocked: Laura Brannigan last year, Teena Marie this one.