Margie Hendrix Cause of Death: The Tragic Story of Ray Charles’ Lover and Singer

Margie Hendrix was a talented and charismatic singer who rose to fame as the leader and founder of the Raelettes, the backing vocal group for Ray Charles. She also had a tumultuous affair with Charles, which resulted in a son, Charles Wayne Hendricks. However, her life was cut short by a heroin overdose in 1973, when she was only 38 years old. What led to her tragic demise? Here is a brief overview of her life and career, and the circumstances surrounding her death.

Early Years and The Cookies

Margie Hendrix was born on March 13, 1935, in Bulloch County, Georgia, to Kattie and Renzy Hendrix. She sang, played piano, and directed her local church choir during her teenage years. In the early 1950s, she moved to New York City when she was 18 and signed a record deal with Lamp Records. She released her first three singles, which were “Everything”, “Good Treatment”, and “Every Time” in 1954, but they did not hit the charts and she left the label in 1955.

In 1956, she replaced Beulah Robertson in the Cookies, joining existing members Dorothy Jones and Darlene McCrea. The group signed to Atlantic Records, and had a No. 9 hit single on the R&B chart called “In Paradise”. They also started working as session singers at Atlantic, where they were introduced to Ray Charles. The Cookies auditioned for Charles on the song “Leave My Woman Alone”.

The Raelettes and Ray Charles

In 1958, Hendrix and McCrea left the Cookies and later formed the Raelettes as Ray’s backing singers. In October 1958, Ray Charles recorded his first song with the Raelettes called “Night Time Is the Right Time”, which reached No. 5 on the R&B charts. The song is widely known for Hendrix’s powerful guest vocals.

There was a mutual attraction between Hendrix and Charles as they started to spend more time with each other and soon they began an affair while Ray was still married. Margie eventually became pregnant and gave birth to one son, Charles Wayne Hendricks on October 1, 1959. After she gave birth to Charles Wayne, she tried to convince Ray to leave his wife Della Beatrice Howard and live with her and their son, but Ray refused.

Margie and the Raelettes continued to perform on several of Ray’s songs, but during the early 1960s, Hendrix’s relationship with Ray began to fall apart and she later started to use alcohol and heroin, and her career began to suffer. Her drug use started to affect her appearance and behavior with the Raelettes like picking fights during recording sessions, not showing up to performances, and showing up to performances drunk.

In 1964, the Raelettes released the single “A Lover’s Blues” which featured Margie on lead vocals, but this was the last song that she recorded with Ray, because in July 1964 during a tour in Europe, Ray fired her from the Raelettes during an argument.

Solo Career and Struggles

After leaving the Raelettes, Margie tried to pursue a solo career with Mercury Records and Sound Stage 7 labels. She released several singles such as “I Call You Lover But You Ain’t Nothing But A Tramp”, “Restless”, “On The Right Track”, and “Don’t Destroy Me”. However, none of them charted or received much attention from the public or critics.

Margie also faced many personal problems such as alcoholism, heroin addiction, depression, poverty, and health issues. She married Robert Fulson in 1966 but divorced him two years later. She also lost custody of her son Charles Wayne to Ray Charles’ wife Della Beatrice Howard.

Death

Margie Hendrix died in New York City on July 14, 1973, at the age of 38. The official cause of her death is unknown since no autopsy was performed on her. Most sources claim it was caused by a heroin overdose, but there are some rumors saying that she died in a car crash or from cancer. Some sources also claim that she was facing poverty around the time of her death.

Margie Hendrix was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. Her grave is marked by a simple headstone that reads “Marjorie Hendricks – A Singer”. Her son Charles Wayne Hendricks attended her funeral along with some of his half-siblings from Ray Charles’ side.

Margie Hendrix was a talented singer who had a great impact on Ray Charles’ music and life. She also had a son who inherited his father’s musical genes. However, she also had a tragic life that was marred by addiction, abuse, and neglect. She died young and forgotten by many, but her voice and legacy live on in the songs she sang and the people she touched.

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