Teri DeBarge, an American producer best known for serving as the executive producer of The Bobby DeBarge Story (2019), was born Teri Lee Gayle in 1970.
She gained notoriety as the widowed spouse of the late R&B musician Bobby DeBarge from Motown. Robert Louis DeBarge II, better known as Bobby DeBarge, was the lead singer of the Motown R&B group Switch.
He was born on March 5, 1956. Before losing died on August 16, 1995, from problems related to HIV/AIDS, he grew to popularity for his falsetto vocals and came close to being considered a musical giant. The widow of DeBarge, Teri DeBarge, is the focus of this article, along with her activities since his passing many years ago.
Biography of Teri DeBarge
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Before changing her name to Teri DeBarge, Teri Lee Gayle was born in 1970 as Teri Lee Gayle. Teri gained notoriety as a result of her union with the late R&B musician Bobby DeBarge, but she has stayed out of the spotlight ever since his passing several years ago. Because of this, nothing is known about her upbringing and family background.
In addition to the well-known fact that she was born in the United States, her actual city of birth within the nation remains unclear, as are her exact birth day and month. She can identify as an American citizen thanks to her birth status, but her ethnic background is less clear.
Teri DeBarge, as previously said, has not provided much information about her family’s past, which has led to the unavoidable conclusion that the facts concerning her parents’ names and occupations are not in the public domain. Furthermore, it is impossible to say whether Teri was an only child or whether she had siblings without a detailed picture of her biological family.
The majority of people are unaware of another part of Teri DeBarge’s early life: her official educational history. The institutions where she acquired her primary formal education are not listed in any documents.
On the other hand, some reliable sources claim that Teri DeBarge stopped attending school once she wed Bobby DeBarge. There is a probability that she raised her academic standing after her spouse passed away, but there is currently no way to be certain of this.
Married Life of Teri DeBarge
On December 10th, 1990, Teri DeBarge and Robert Louis ‘Bobby’ DeBarge were wed. In 1985, Teri and Bobby first met and started dating; they got married five years later. She apparently met Bobby when she was 15 years old. The mainstream narrative also states that Teri met her late husband through his ex-wife, Monique DeBarge.
Teri’s cousin Monique is thought to have met Bobby in 1985 and introduced Teri to him. Teri, who was 15 at the time, caught Bobby’s attention, and he quickly started making advances. It took some time, but his efforts to begin a connection with a teenage Teri eventually paid off.
The couple keeps the finer aspects of the wedding event private, including the location and venue, the guests, and the couple’s wardrobe. Bobby DeBarge and Teri DeBarge were wed for less than five years before he passed away in August 1995 as a result of complications from HIV/AIDS.
Death of Teri DeBarge’s husband
On August 16, 1995, Teri DeBarge’s late spouse passed away in Grand Rapids, Michigan, from complications related to HIV/AIDS. His age at the time was 39. This fatal virus commonly infects a spouse or wife’s partner once they catch it. The good news is that Teri was unaffected because she did not get the virus from her deceased husband.
Numerous hypotheses were put up in response to the topic of how Teri’s late husband, Bobby, contracted the illness that ultimately resulted in his untimely death. One of the arguments put up was that he was bisexual and got the virus by having intercourse with males. However, there has never been any proof in this regard.
The most popular and likely accurate theory centers on his drug use and bad behaviors. Despite being a musical talent, Bobby DeBarge never seemed to have a handle on his personal life. Many of his close friends claimed that his violent father was the source of his severe drug problem. He started with heroin and worked his way up to heavier narcotics like cocaine.
After taking a few good steps, he relapsed after years of fighting the addiction. The general view is that Bobby required a syringe to administer the heroin dose and that he used one of the syringes without understanding it was contaminated with the virus.
Son of Teri DeBarge
Despite their brief marriage, Teri was able to give birth to two kids for Bobby before his tragic passing. Although the specific dates of either son’s birth are currently unknown, they have to take place between 1991 and 1995. Christian DeBarge was the name of Teri’s first child, and Bobby DeBarge III was the name of his younger son. Actress Teri DeBarge is one.
An illustrator for anime, Christian DeBarge is the proud father of one daughter by an unnamed Asian woman. The eldest son of Teri has adopted both his father’s name and musical legacy. Bobby III possesses a superb falsetto, which is the singing talent that made his father renowned.
Where is Teri DeBarge now?
After her husband passed away, Teri DeBarge disappeared, apparently so she could start over and concentrate on raising her two sons. She made a brief comeback as herself in the 2008 documentary series Unsung, which examined the careers of numerous underappreciated yet outstanding R&B, Soul, and Gospel singers from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.
In that feature article, Teri’s late husband Bobby’s life was mentioned and briefly discussed. Who better to tell Bobby DeBarge’s story than a woman who was briefly married to him, Teri likely reasoned that being a part of that series gave her the idea for a whole play on her late husband.
Her vision was finally realized nine years after it was first conceived in 2008 with the 2019 release of The Bobby DeBarge Story. In the production, which centered on the legendary Bobby DeBarge’s life, including his musical prowess, battles with drug addiction, HIV, and passing, Teri made her acting debut as an executive producer.
This is Teri’s first and only producing endeavor. Her estimated net worth is $5 million, some of which she made from recording the account of her husband.
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