Mary Jane Blige is an American singer, songwriter, and actress.
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86 Facts About Mary J Blige
2.
Mary J Blige has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, including one for her supporting role in the film Mudbound and another for its original song "Mighty River", becoming the first person nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year.
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3.
Mary J Blige's career began in 1988 when she was signed to Uptown Records by its founder Andre Harrell.
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4.
Mary J Blige then began background vocal work for other artists on the label such as Father MC and Jeff Redd.
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5.
Mary J Blige has made a successful transition to both the television and movie screens, with supporting roles in films such as Prison Song, Rock of Ages, Betty and Coretta, Black Nativity, her Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated breakthrough performance as Florence Jackson in Mudbound, Trolls World Tour, Body Cam, The Violent Heart and co-starring as jazz singer Dinah Washington in the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect.
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6.
In 2019, Mary J Blige starred as Cha-Cha on the first season of the Netflix television series The Umbrella Academy.
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8.
Mary J Blige became a first-time nominee for the 2021 class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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9.
In 2022 Mary J Blige was awarded with the Icon Award at the Billboard Music Awards.
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10.
Mary J Blige was born January 11,1971, in Fordham Hospital in the borough of the Bronx, New York City.
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11.
Mary J Blige was born to mother Cora, a nurse, and father Thomas Blige, a jazz musician.
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12.
Mary J Blige has an elder sister, LaTonya Blige-DaCosta, a younger half-brother, Bruce Miller, and a younger half-sister, Jonquell, both from a later relationship Blige's mother had with another man after divorcing her first husband.
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13.
Mary J Blige spent her early childhood in Atlanta, Georgia, where she sang in a Pentecostal church.
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14.
Mary J Blige's father was a Vietnam War veteran who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism.
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15.
Mary J Blige became the executive producer and produced a majority of her first album.
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16.
Mary J Blige was noted for having a "tough girl persona and streetwise lyrics".
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17.
Mary J Blige involved herself in several outside projects, recording a cover of Aretha Franklin's " A Natural Woman" for the soundtrack to the FOX series New York Undercover, and "Everyday It Rains" for the soundtrack to the hip hop documentary, The Show.
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18.
Shortly after, Mary J Blige was featured on Jay-Z's breakthrough single, "Can't Knock the Hustle", from his debut Reasonable Doubt and with Ghostface Killah on "All That I Got Is You" from his debut, Ironman, which was released that year.
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19.
The album was made at a time when Mary J Blige was trying to "get her life together", by trying to overcome drugs and alcohol, as well as the ending of her relationship with Hailey.
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20.
Mary J Blige appeared on In Concert: A Benefit for the Crossroads Centre at Antigua with Eric Clapton in 1999.
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21.
The Mary J Blige album was critically praised, becoming her most nominated release to date, and was certified double platinum.
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22.
Mary J Blige received eight Grammy Award nominations at the 2007 Grammy Awards, the most of any artist that year.
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24.
The album peaked at number nine in the U S, selling over 170,000 copies in its first week, while reaching number forty in the UK In 2006, Blige recorded a duet with rapper Ludacris, "Runaway Love", which is the third single on his fifth album, Release Therapy.
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25.
Mary J Blige was featured with Aretha Franklin and the Harlem Boys Choir on the soundtrack to the 2006 motion picture Bobby, on the lead track "Never Gonna Break My Faith" written by Bryan Adams.
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26.
Mary J Blige was featured on 50 Cent's 2007 album, Curtis, in the song "All of Me".
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28.
Mary J Blige went on the Growing Pains European Tour, her first tour there in two years.
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29.
Mary J Blige returned to performing in January 2009 by performing the song "Lean on Me" at the Presidential Inauguration Committee's, "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial".
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30.
Mary J Blige performed her hit 2007 single, "Just Fine", with a new intro at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball after Barack Obama was sworn in on January 20,2009.
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31.
Mary J Blige appeared as a marquee performer on the annual Christmas in Washington television special.
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32.
Mary J Blige recorded "Stronger", as the lead single from the soundtrack to the basketball documentary "More than a Game" in August 2009.
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33.
One of Mary J Blige's representatives reported to Us Weekly magazine that a tour in support of Stronger with Each Tear would begin in the fall of 2010.
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34.
In March 2010, Mary J Blige released Stronger with Each Tear in the United Kingdom, as well as in the European markets.
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35.
Mary J Blige was honored at the 2009 BET Honors Ceremony and was paid tribute by Anita Baker and Monica.
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36.
On November 4,2009, Mary J Blige sang The Star-Spangled Banner at Yankee Stadium before the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies played the last game of the World Series.
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37.
Mary J Blige appeared as a guest judge on the ninth season of American Idol on January 13,2010.
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38.
On January 23,2010, Mary J Blige released a track "Hard Times Come Again No More" with the Roots as well as performing it at the Hope for Haiti Now telethon.
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39.
At the 41st NAACP Image Awards Mary J Blige won Outstanding Female Artist and Outstanding Album for Stronger with Each Tear.
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40.
In July 2011, Mary J Blige released the song "The Living Proof" as the lead single to the soundtrack of the film The Help.
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41.
The album, primarily recorded in Los Angeles and New York City, saw Mary J Blige looking toward the future while acknowledging the past.
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42.
On February 28,2012, Mary J Blige performed "Star Spangled Banner" at the 2012 NBA All-Star Game.
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43.
Mary J Blige appeared as guest mentor on American Idol on March 7,2012, and performed "Why" on the results show the following night.
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45.
The album, titled, A Mary J Blige Christmas was released on October 15,2013, through Matriarch and Verve Records, her first release with the latter.
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46.
On October 23,2013, Mary J Blige sang the national anthem before Game 1 of the 2013 World Series.
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47.
Mary J Blige recorded a collection of music from and inspired by the film.
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48.
June 2,2014 saw Mary J Blige pairing up with another English musician with the release of a re-worked version of Sam Smith's "Stay with Me".
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49.
Mary J Blige spent a month in London recording her album in RAK Studios with a host of young British acts, including Disclosure, Naughty Boy, Emeli Sande and Sam Smith.
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50.
Mary J Blige appeared on The View alongside Maxwell during its premiere week on September 9,2016, to discuss their joint tour and theme song.
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51.
On July 12,2018, Mary J Blige released the single "Only Love" on Republic Records, following her exit from Capitol Records.
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52.
In January 2022, Mary J Blige released an additional song from Good Morning Gorgeous titled "Rent Money" featuring Dave East.
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53.
On February 13,2022, Mary J Blige performed at the Super Bowl LVI halftime show alongside fellow American rappers Dr Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, and Anderson.
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54.
In May 2022, Mary J Blige was listed as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME.
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55.
In 1998, Mary J Blige made her acting debut on the sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show, playing the apparently southern Ola Mae, a preacher's daughter who wanted to sing more than gospel music.
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56.
Mary J Blige's father was portrayed by Ronald Isley of the Isley Brothers.
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57.
In 2001, Mary J Blige starred opposite rapper Q-Tip in the independent film Prison Song.
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58.
That same year, Mary J Blige made a cameo on the Lifetime network series, Strong Medicine; playing the role of Simone Fellows, the lead singer of a band who was sick, but would not seek treatment.
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59.
In 2000, Mary J Blige was featured in a superhero web cartoon in junction with Stan Lee.
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60.
In 2004, Mary J Blige starred in an Off-Broadway play, The Exonerated, which chronicled the experiences of death row inmates.
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61.
Mary J Blige portrayed Sunny Jacobs, a woman who spent 20 years in prison for a crime she did not commit.
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62.
Mary J Blige later dropped out of the role due to financial issues and the role was recast with actress Zoe Saldana as Simone in Nina, released in 2016.
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63.
In February 2007, Mary J Blige guest-starred on Ghost Whisperer, in the episode "Mean Ghost", as the character Jackie Boyd, the school's cheerleader coach grieving for the death of her brother and affected by the ghost of a dead cheerleader.
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64.
In October 2007, Mary J Blige was a guest star on America's Next Top Model, as a creative director for a photoshoot by Matthew Rolston.
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65.
In May 2009, Mary J Blige made a guest appearance on 30 Rock, as an artist recording a benefit song for a kidney.
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66.
Mary J Blige had a supporting role in Tyler Perry's movie I Can Do Bad All by Myself, which was released in September 2009.
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67.
Mary J Blige starred alongside Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough, and Alec Baldwin in the film adaptation of the 1980s jukebox hit musical Rock of Ages.
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68.
Mary J Blige played Justice Charlier, the owner of a Sunset Strip gentlemen's club.
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69.
Mary J Blige starred in the Lifetime movie Betty and Coretta alongside Angela Bassett, Malik Yoba and Lindsay Owen Pierre.
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70.
Mary J Blige played Dr Betty Shabazz, the widow of Malcolm X The film premiered in February 2013.
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71.
In October 2016, Mary J Blige guest-starred on ABC legal drama How to Get Away with Murder as an old acquaintance of Annalise Keating played by Viola Davis.
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72.
In 2017, Mary J Blige starred in the period drama film Mudbound directed by Dee Rees.
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73.
Mary J Blige's nomination made Dee Rees the first black woman to direct a film for which an actor was nominated for an Academy Award.
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74.
Mary J Blige voiced Irene Adler in the 2018 animated film Sherlock Gnomes, and in 2020 voiced Queen Essence in the animated musical film Trolls World Tour.
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75.
In 2018, it was announced that Mary J Blige was cast as Sherry Elliot in Scream: Resurrection, the third season of the slasher television series Scream.
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76.
In 2019, Mary J Blige starred in the role of Cha-Cha, a main antagonist in the Netflix superhero series The Umbrella Academy.
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78.
Mary J Blige played singer Dinah Washington in the biographical drama film Respect about life and career of Aretha Franklin.
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79.
Mary J Blige married her manager, Martin "Kendu" Isaacs, on December 7,2003.
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80.
In July 2016, Mary J Blige filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences".
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81.
Democrat, Mary J Blige performed for Barack Obama at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
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82.
Mary J Blige has dealt with drug and alcohol addiction, and has been sober for several years.
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83.
In 2004, Mary J Blige launched her own record label, Matriarch Records, distributed through Interscope, and in mid-2012, discovered girl group Just'Us, making the group the first ladies of the label.
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84.
In July 2010, Mary J Blige launched her first perfume, My Life, exclusively on HSN.
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85.
In October 2010, Mary J Blige released a line of sunglasses called "Melodies by MJB".
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86.
Mary J Blige has been a spokesperson with Carol's Daughter beauty products and Citibank's with Nickelback program.
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