*Bernadette Cooper, the founding member of the 80’s female R&B band, Klymaxx, once spoke about how rock star Lenny Kravitz wronged late singer Teena Marie at a time when she needed him the most.
In a 2014 interview, Bernadette explained why Lenny should have shown Teena Marie more love, saying: “Teena gave him [Lenny Kravitz] a place to stay, fed him and taught him a lot about the industry. I wish he could’ve reciprocated that before she died. It would’ve been nice if he put her on one of his albums, but that’s all I’m going to say about that.”
Teena Marie was a celebrated R&B singer-songwriter who famously collaborated with late funk icon Rick James.
Bernadette said she smoked a joint with Teena Marie the first day they met: “Teena came over to me after a Klymaxx show a few years before and said, ‘You’re the baddest one in the group.’ I was cool on the outside, but inside I was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s Teena Marie.’ Afterwards she invited me to her limo to smoke a joint and we became buddies.”
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Per I Love Old School Music, “after the ladies of Klymaxx went their separate ways, Bernadette started her solo career and released a few albums. She also opened up a successful vintage clothing store in New Jersey called Museum 68, which has since closed it’s doors after eight years in business,” the outlet writes.
In an interview with Essence, Bernadette touched on the decades-long tension she’s had with one of her fellow Klymaxx members:
“While we are on hiatus one of the members of the group continued to tour with the band’s name. We asked her to stop. Klymaxx was my vision. I created the concept. We did get together and we did tour for awhile. If you’re an original member of the band you can use ‘Klymaxx Featuring…’ But realistically, our time was up. I toured as ‘Klymaxx Presents Bernadette Cooper,’ but I’m looking forward to letting go, and moving forward,” she said.
Teena Marie was 54 when she died at her California home in 2010. She was found dead by her daughter after apparently dying in her sleep, CNN reported.
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