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Etterlene Louise Rodriguez (previously DeBarge, née Abney; born October 13, 1935) is an American gospel singer, songwriter, and matriarch of the American R&B/Soul vocal group DeBarge. She is also the author of Other Side of the Pain, which talked about her struggles in her marriage to her children's father and also documented her children's rise to fame as well as their struggles under the glare of the spotlight.

Etterlene DeBarge
Born	Etterlene Louise Abney (1935-10-13) October 13, 1935 (age 87) Royal Oak, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation	Singer, songwriter
Years active	1950–present
Spouse(s)	Robert DeBarge ​ ​ (m. 1953; div. 1974)​ George Rodriguez ​ ​ (m. 1980)​
Children	10; including Bunny, Bobby, Randy, Mark, El, James and Chico
Family	DeBarge
Musical career
Genres	Gospel
Instrument(s)	Vocals piano
Musical artist

Biography

Early years

Born Etterlene Abney on October 13, 1935 in Royal Oak, Michigan, she was one of twelve children and has a twin sister. When she was a child, her family moved to the Brewster-Douglass housing projects, located in the east side of Detroit. In 1952, she met a former Army veteran named Robert DeBarge, a man of French and English descent from Cicero, Illinois.[1] The couple married in 1953 settling in a predominantly black section of Detroit, where they had ten children. In 1972, the DeBarges moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Etterlene's brother, Bishop William Charles Abney, Jr., pastored Bethel Pentecostal Church. Etterlene divorced Robert DeBarge sometime in 1974. She later married a second time, to George Rodriguez, a Puerto Rican, leading to the erroneous rumor that the DeBarge family was half-Hispanic. However, contrary to popular belief, they are not of Latino descent.

Children and grandchildren

Robert and Etterlene DeBarge had ten children during their 21-year marriage:

• Etterlene "Bunny" DeBarge (born March 10, 1955)
• Robert "Bobby" DeBarge, Jr. (March 5, 1956 – August 16, 1995)
• Thomas "Tommy" DeBarge (September 6, 1957 – October 21, 2021)
• William "Randy" DeBarge (born August 6, 1958)
• Mark "Marty" DeBarge (born June 19, 1959)
• Eldra "El" DeBarge (born June 4, 1961)
• James DeBarge (born August 22, 1963)
• Jonathan Arthur "Chico" DeBarge (born June 23, 1966)
• Carol "Peaches" DeBarge (born June 5, 1970)
• Darrell "Young" DeBarge (born June 5, 1970)

Etterlene has dozens of grandchildren, several of whom are involved in the entertainment industry. They include Kristinia DeBarge, daughter of James, a singer who appeared on 2003's American Juniors followed up with a charting album (Exposed) and single ("Goodbye").

Music career

In 1991, with the help of her famous children, Etterlene, a religious woman, released a gospel album, Back on Track, under the DeBarge Family moniker. In 2005, she released a second gospel album, A City Called Heaven. She is affectionately known to her grandchildren as "Mama D". She currently enjoys her grandchildren and lives in California.

References

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