While on the road with James Brown, Tammi Terrell was reportedly beaten severely. The last time was when she went to singer, Gene Chandler, for help: “I witnessed the situation and she came to me for help, then I called her parents,” said Chandler.
According to PR, here’s what Ludie wrote in her biography, My Sister Tommie, The Real Life Tammi Terrell:
“Our mother received a distressing telephone call. Mother was horrified to learn that a 17-year-old Tammi had encountered some trouble on the road and was coming home. James Brown had beaten her mercilessly and Tammi wanted out. My father was especially hurt because he knew James and he trusted him with Tammi since she was only 17 and he was 30.
When Tammi returned home she looked disheveled, tired and just worn out. I learned that night that she had been trying to get away for some time but was worried about breach of contract repercussions.
While mother and I were unpacking Tammi’s things in the basement my mother discovered a blue, silk oriental dress. It was called a Kimono and James had bought it for Tammi. This dress had particular significance! There was blood all over it. We learned that Tammi’s abuse was extensive and that this tragic incident involved an umbrella with horrific results.”
After her reportedly brutal relationship with James Brown, Tammi moved on to a reportedly equally brutal relationship with Temptations lead singer, David Ruffin.
Thankfully, at the end of her short life- which was sadly claimed by brain cancer in when she was 24- Tammi Terrell felt what real love was from the doctor she was happily engaged to at the time of her passing.
