Tionne Tenese Watkins (born April 26, 1970),^[2] better known by her stage name T-Boz, is an American singer and actress. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Watkins rose to fame in the early 1990s as a member of the girl-group TLC. She has won four Grammy Awards for her work with TLC.

Tionne Watkins was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 26, 1970, to James and Gayle Watkins. She has written that she is of African American, Native American and Irish descent.^[3][4] Watkins' family moved from Des Moines to Atlanta, Georgia, when she was nine years old.^[5]

Watkins published a book of semi-autobiographical poetry called Thoughts on November 3, 1999.^[19] In 2005, Watkins and stylist Tara Brivic (who would later appear regularly on Totally T-Boz) opened a children's boutique called Chase's Closet (named after her daughter).^[20][21] It was shut down years later.^[22] TLC also released a soundtrack album 20 marking both the band's 20-plus year legacy in entertainment business and the release of their biopic, this album included a new track written by singer Ne-Yo, "Meant to Be". They also had guest vocals on J. Cole's track "Crooked Smile".^[23] TLC celebrated their return with a series of highly publicized performances which included 2 dates: VH1's Mixtape Festival in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on July 27, 2013, and Drake's OVO Fest in Toronto on August 5, 2013. They released an album, TLC, on June 30, 2017.^[24]

As a child, Watkins was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia.^[25] Since the age of seven, she has been in and out of the hospital due to the painful condition.^[25] T-Boz opened up to the public about the disease in 1996;^[26] she later became one of the spokespersons for Sickle Cell Disease Association of America.^[27][28] In 2002, she was hospitalized for four months due to a flare-up of sickle-cell anemia.^[29] She is a national co-chair of the progressive organization Health Care Voter.^[30]

On August 19, 2000, Watkins married rapper Mack 10 in California.^[31] The couple's daughter, Chase Anela Rolison, was born premature a few months later on October 20, 2000.^[5] In June 2004, she filed for divorce, and requested a restraining order against the rapper.^[32] In 2012, Watkins moved with Chase from Atlanta to Los Angeles, California, in order for Chase to be closer to her father.

In October 2009, Watkins revealed that she had secretly battled a potentially fatal brain tumor for three years.^[33][34] In March 2006, she was diagnosed as having a grape-sized acoustic neuroma on her vestibular nerve that affected her balance, weight, hearing, sight, and facial movement. Many physicians refused to remove the tumor due to her sickle-cell-related complications, leaving her alternatives grim. Ultimately, she underwent surgery at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.^[35]

Watkins filed for bankruptcy in February 2011 and again in October 2011.^[36] In an episode of the Reelz TV series Broke & Famous, entertainment reporter Viviana Vigil stated Watkins spent $9,000 a month and owed $770,000 on her home with a reported monthly income of $11,000, while another reporter Nina Parker cited Watkins's medical bills and brain tumor.^[36] She continues to pay off debt on a 2005 Honda Odyssey.

In June 2016, Watkins announced that she had adopted a 10-month-old boy named Chance.^[37]

• Watkins, Tionne (1999). Thoughts. HarperEntertainment. ISBN 978-0-06-105183-8.
• Watkins, Tionne (2017). A Sick Life: TLC 'n Me: Stories from On and Off the Stage. Rodale Books. ISBN 978-1-62336-860-9.