The early life of Ice-T: Alice Marrow's death, upbringing, and life story
Rapper Ice-T, whose real name is Tracey Marrow, was orphaned as a child after the death of both his parents, Solomon and Alice Marrow. His relatives took care of him until he entered high school, after which he embarked on building his brand. He told Closer Weekly in 2023:
I've been on my own ever since I was 17 years old.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Ice-T's parents, Solomon and Alice Marrow, died four years apart before he was 13 years old.
- The rapper was raised in suburban Summit, New Jersey, but after becoming an orphan, he found himself involved in the gang street life of South Central Los Angeles.
- Serving in the military and finding success in rap saved Ice-T from a life of crime.
Ice-T's profile summary
Birth name | Tracy Lauren Marrow |
Date of birth | February 16, 1958 |
Age | 67 years old (as of October 2025) |
Place of birth | Newark, New Jersey, United States |
Current resident | Bergen, New Jersey, United States |
Heritage | Mixed African-American and Creole |
Wife | Coco Austin (2002 to date) |
Children | Letesha Marrow, Ice Marrow, Chanel Nicole Marrow |
Parents | Alice Marrow, Solomon Marrow |
Education | Crenshaw High School |
Profession | Actor, rapper, songwriter, author |
Band | Body Count |
Net worth | Approx. $65 million |
Social media |
Ice-T had a decent early childhood in New Jersey
Tracy Marrow was born in Newark, New Jersey, on February 16, 1958. His family later relocated to a predominantly White upscale neighbourhood in Summit, New Jersey. They lived in a duplex house in a small area of Summit that had Black families, and he attended Brayton Elementary School.
Ice-T's father, Solomon, was a blue-collar worker employed as a conveyor belt mechanic at the Rapistan Conveyor Company in Mountainside. The rap star has described him as a quiet man and his mother, Alice, as a supportive and smart woman.
In his 2011 memoir "ICE: A Gangster Life and Redemption. From South Central to Hollywood", the Grammy-winning artist revealed that he had a decent middle-American life. He was never discriminated against as a child because of his fair skin. Ice-T's ethnicity is a mix of Afro-American and Creole.
There wasn't any violence or trauma. It was quiet, simple, and suburban. An almost perfect childhood.
Source: Original
Rapper Ice-T was orphaned as a child
Ice-T's mother, Alice Marrow, died of a heart attack when he was in third grade. His dad, Solomon, raised him as a single dad, but tragedy struck four years later when he also died of a heart attack. The rapper became a total orphan by the age of 13.
When asked how Solomon and Alice Marrow's deaths affected him, Tracy shared in his November 2023 Closer Weekly interview that he managed to adjust. He has not let it affect him by "ripping the rearview mirror off" his life and looking forward instead of dwelling on the past.
With all due respect, I think it's better for me that it happened so early, because I was able to deal with it early. As a kid, a lot of times you don't register things. You're in pain, but you don't even know how much pain you're in because you don't understand death. So, I dealt with it.
Source: Getty Images
Ice-T's subsequent life in Los Angeles
After the death of his parents, a young Ice-T went to live with his paternal aunt and her husband in South Central Los Angeles, a predominantly black side of LA. The Law & Order: SVU actor attended Crenshaw High School, where he got involved in gang activities with the street gang Crips and got his classmate pregnant.
Source: Getty Images
Ice-T served in the army to avoid the streets
After graduating from high school, rapper Ice-T enlisted in the army to escape the negative path of street life after some of the people he knew were killed or went to prison. He was looking for a way to support his child without committing petty crimes.
The Cop Killer hitmaker joined the 25th Infantry Division in 1977 and served as a squad leader at the Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. He received an Honourable Discharge after serving for four years. Ice-T said during his 2023 interview with 'B High At' that he was glad he joined the military, which taught him to handle life better.
You know how they say, 'Hustlers don't complain, they figure it out?' In the military, they say, 'Overcome, adapt, improvise.' So, you know, you learn how to handle situations.
Source: Getty Images
Rap changed Ice-T's life
The Original Gangster hitmaker started rapping after his military stint. His early music addressed his street life, making him a pioneer in the gangsta rap genre. Ice-T told NPR journalist David Greene in 2012 that he made the documentary Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap because rap saved his life.
Before rap came along, I was actively in the streets. That was my first step into the legitimate world. Now people look at me like, 'Oh, I love him; he's so respectable.' I was a pretty bad person early in my life.
His success in rap led to an acting career. He has been portraying Detective Fin Tutuola in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit since 2000. Ice-T is also a heavy metal singer and frontman of the band Body Count, which won a Grammy in 2021 for Best Metal Performance for their song Bum-Rush.
Source: Getty Images
Who is the mother of LeTesha Marrow?
LeTesha is Ice-T's eldest daughter from his relationship with his ex-girlfriend Adrienne. She was born in 1976 when the rapper was still in high school and in the same class as Adrienne.
The Grammy winner has admitted that he was not fully present and focused on survival when LeTesha was young. He told People in 2020:
When I had my first kid, I was in the middle of the wildness of becoming Ice-T, all the people that were after me, and I had my head down...I really wasn't concentrating on them. I was concentrating on survival.
Source: Getty Images
Conclusion
The deaths of Solomon and Alice Marrow reshaped Ice-T's early life. The rap legend eventually found a way out and remains one of the most influential OG rappers in hip-hop.
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