After collapsing on stage while performing with her duet partner Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor — which would lead to her untimely demise on March 16, 1970 at age 24.
Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy Stock PhotoSinger Tammi Terrell was a promising Motown star until she met a tragic death.
Tammi Terrell’s voice became a symbol of R&B and soul in the 1960s, immortalized through her unforgettable duets with Marvin Gaye. But behind her powerful music was a life marked by hardship, abuse, and health issues that would lead to her untimely death at just 24 years old.
Despite experiencing a difficult early life, Terrell boldly pursued a career in music, initially signing with Scepter Records in 1960. She was later introduced to James Brown before signing with Motown Records in 1965.
Often collaborating with fellow Motown star Marvin Gaye, Terrell released iconic songs like “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Your Precious Love.”
But then, at age 22, Terrell suddenly collapsed on stage while performing with Gaye. She was soon diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Despite undergoing multiple surgeries, her health continued to decline, eventually bringing her career to a halt. On March 16, 1970, Tammi Terrell died at age 24, leaving behind a powerful yet unfinished legacy in the world of music.
The Early Life And Career Of Tammi Terrell
FacebookTammi Terrell was a gifted singer from an early age, eventually leading her to Motown.
Tammi Terrell was born Thomasina Winifred Montgomery on April 29, 1945, in Philadelphia. Her mother, Jennie Graham, was an actress, while her father, Thomas Montgomery, was a barbershop owner and local politician.
Terrell was the oldest of two siblings, and her parents thought that she would be a boy before she was born. When the couple discovered that she was a girl, they continued their plan to name her after her father, Thomas Montgomery, settling on the name Thomasina. Eventually, she began going by the nicknames Tommie, Tammy, and, finally, Tammi.
Tragically, Terrell’s childhood was plagued with trauma. Not only did her mother suffer from mental illness, but Terrell reportedly endured a horrific rape by three boys when she was only 11. Around the time of the attack, she began experiencing severe migraines that worsened as the years went on.
Despite this trauma and other obstacles in her life, Terrell continued to look toward the future. After graduating from Germantown High School, Terrell pursued a career in music, signing with Scepter Records in 1960.
During her time with the label, Terrell met James Brown, the famed “Godfather of Soul.” Brown was impressed with her abilities and signed her to his own live show. The two would eventually begin a romantic relationship, despite the fact that Terrell was just 17 and Brown was 12 years her senior.
However, their relationship wouldn’t last long, mostly due to Brown’s abusive behavior. One time, Brown left her bloody after a beating just because she didn’t watch the entirety of a show he played in 1963.
Bobby Bennett, a former member of the Famous Flames, later remembered the disturbing incident in an interview with Rolling Stone: “He beat Tammi Terrell terrible. She was bleeding, shedding blood.” Bennett added, “Tammi left him because she didn’t want her butt whipped.”
She briefly recorded for Checker Records, still determined to make a name for herself without Brown. But her biggest successes were yet to come.
Tammi Terrell’s Career With Motown — And Her Sensational Collaborations With Marvin Gaye
Vinyls/Alamy Stock PhotoA vintage record cover featuring Tammi Terrell and Marvin Gaye.
During one of her shows in April 1965, Tammi Terrell was noticed by Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, who promised to sign her to the iconic label.
After being signed, Terrell began appearing alongside more artists, including The Temptations. She eventually struck up a romance with The Temptations lead singer David Ruffin, but that relationship was also marred with abuse.
“David could sometimes be rough on a lady,” Otis Williams, another member of The Temptations, said. “You hear and see things when you’re out on the road like we were. We all knew about Tammi and James Brown. We knew how James Brown was about women that he would flip a woman’s ass. And back then, you wouldn’t ever get the woman’s side so that people would assume, fairly or not, he flipped her ass because she provoked him to.”
When Terrell met Ruffin, he was already married (though technically separated) with children, and he also had another girlfriend. Despite this, Ruffin pursued Terrell and even proposed to her. When she found out about his other family and his rampant drug problems, the two began having explosive arguments. In one instance, Ruffin even struck Terrell on the head with a motorcycle helmet, amidst her ongoing struggle with migraines. This violent incident prompted her to end the relationship.
By 1967, Motown Records had asked Terrell to perform duets with one of the label’s biggest stars, Marvin Gaye — leading to a number of iconic hits.
Most memorably, Terrell and Gaye released the hit song “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” The duo’s other hits included “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing,” “You’re All I Need to Get By,” and “Your Precious Love.”
Despite rumors, Gaye and Terrell were never romantically involved with each other. But the two developed a deep friendship and business partnership that would last until Tammi Terrell’s heartbreaking death.
Tammi Terrell’s Sudden And Tragic Death
Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy Stock PhotoA 1968 promotional photo of Tammi Terrell, two years before her death.
Amidst Tammi Terrell’s rising star, her migraines increased in intensity and frequency. She largely ignored them until the day they caught up to her.
On October 14, 1967, Terrell suddenly collapsed on stage while performing “Your Precious Love” with Marvin Gaye at Hampden–Sydney College in Virginia, falling right into Gaye’s arms. Shortly after this alarming incident, doctors discovered a malignant tumor in the right side of her brain and immediately recommended surgery. She was just 22 at the time.
Her first of what would be eight unsuccessful operations occurred in early 1968. From then on, her condition failed to improve. Motown initially downplayed the severity of Terrell’s brain cancer, and between surgeries, she continued to record vocals and perform live as she did before her diagnosis. But before long, it became clear that Terrell was too weak to continue on.
Her doctors eventually ordered Terrell to stop performing altogether, but despite her increasingly poor health, another Motown artist, Valerie Simpson, claimed that Terrell was still sometimes brought into the studio to record vocals whenever she was deemed strong enough to sing.
Amidst her many attempts to have her cancerous tumor removed, Terrell met and eventually became engaged to Dr. Ernest “Ernie” Garrett.
There was a brief period in 1969 when Terrell’s health was stable enough for her to make one last public appearance at Harlem’s famous Apollo Theater, where she joined Marvin Gaye on stage during one of his performances. She later expressed her hopes for the future to her friends.
tomovox/FlickrTammi Terrell and Marvin Gaye in a promotional image.
“She talked like she was going to get out and live a full life. She talked about clothes she wanted to buy and records she wanted to do,” said Rita Helmick, a secretary to one of Terrell’s doctors, according to Soul Publications.
By early 1970, Terrell’s ailing condition required her to use a wheelchair. She also experienced blindness and significant hair loss, and her memory had started to fail. On January 21, 1970, Terrell received her eighth and last brain operation and, soon afterward, slipped into a coma.
Tragically, she would never wake up, and on March 16, 1970, Tammi Terrell died at 24. A funeral was later held for her at Janes Methodist Church in Philadelphia. Her mother was purportedly so furious by the way Motown had treated her daughter that she didn’t allow anyone from the label to attend, except for Gaye, whom she felt was Terrell’s genuine friend.
Indeed, Tammi Terrell’s death impacted Marvin Gaye greatly. According to his friends, Gaye became increasingly dependent on drugs because he was so depressed after she perished. Sadly, years later, Gaye too would suffer an untimely death at the hands of his own father in 1984.
Terrell was buried at Mount Lawn Cemetery in Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania, her final resting place after a life that was far too short.
After learning about Tammi Terrell’s life and death, go inside the mysteries surrounding R&B legend Sam Cooke’s death. Then, read about the tumultuous life of “Super Freak” Rick James.
