Editing Etta James (section)

==Personal life==

=== Religion ===
Through her mother, Dorothy, James was introduced to the [[Nation of Islam]]. Dorothy attended occasional meetings at Nation of Islam Temple No. 27 in Los Angeles, and relayed the teachings to her daughter.<ref name=":4" /> Under the care of her grandparents, however, James was raised [[Baptist]].<ref name="EJO" /> In her adult years, James and a friend began attending a Nation of Islam temple in Atlanta, where she found comfort in the preaching of [[Louis Farrakhan|Minister Louis X]] and a sense of "racial pride". She took on the name ''Jamesetta X'' and later joined [[Malcolm X]]’s temple in [[Harlem]]; she remained a member for about a decade.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bond |first1=Paul |date=26 January 2012 |title="Sing like your life depends on it": Etta James—1938-2012 |url=https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2012/01/etta-j26.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210827170523/https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2012/01/etta-j26.html |archive-date=August 27, 2021 |access-date=27 August 2021 |work=World Socialist Web Site |language=en}}</ref>  It was in Harlem that James became friends with young boxer [[Cassius Clay]], who later changed his name to [[Muhammad Ali]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Amelinckx |first=Andrew |date=2023-01-21 |title=Etta James' Relationship With Malcolm X Explained |url=https://www.grunge.com/1169254/etta-james-relationship-with-malcolm-x-explained/ |access-date=2024-04-29 |website=Grunge |language=en-US}}</ref> She didn't strictly follow their beliefs, saying it was "something of a fad" and the "radical, the 'in' thing to do" at the time.<ref name=":4">{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=Ula |title=The Promise of Patriarchy: Women and the Nation of Islam |date=2017 |page=105}}</ref>

=== Marriage and children ===
James was married to Artis Mills from 1969 until her death in 2012.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Gulla|first=Bob|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pLgqFaYmgw8C&q=Anchorage|title=Icons of R & B and Soul: An Encyclopedia of the Artists who Revolutionized Rhythm|date=2008|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-34044-4|pages=161–162|language=en|access-date=October 17, 2020|archive-date=December 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218034141/https://books.google.com/books?id=pLgqFaYmgw8C&q=Anchorage|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=DeLuca|first=Dan|date=January 21, 2012|title=Etta James, the husky-voiced R&B singer, dies at 73|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer|url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/obituaries/20120121_Etta_James__the_husky-voiced_R_B_singer__dies_at_73.html|access-date=May 18, 2020|archive-date=July 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731025851/https://www.inquirer.com/philly/obituaries/20120121_Etta_James__the_husky-voiced_R_B_singer__dies_at_73.html|url-status=live}}</ref> She had two sons, Donto James and Sametto James, born to different fathers.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Willon|first=Phil|date=January 15, 2011|title=Etta James' husband, sons battle over money for her care|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2011-jan-15-la-me-etta-20110115-story.html|access-date=May 18, 2020|archive-date=July 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731030000/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2011-jan-15-la-me-etta-20110115-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Both of her sons became musicians and eventually performed professionally with their mother; Donto played drums at Montreux in 1993, and Sametto played bass guitar circa 2003, among other performances and tours.<ref>{{cite news |title=James pours heart, soul into set To the 'Last' |first=Thor |last=Christensen |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=1022640F8ADEF8B8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |newspaper=[[The Dallas Morning News]] |date=April 23, 2004 |access-date=March 29, 2011 |archive-date=October 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025034203/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=1022640F8ADEF8B8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Legal difficulties and drug addiction ===
By the mid-1960s, James suffered from an addiction to heroin. To finance her habit, she bounced checks, forged prescriptions and stole from her friends.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Remembering Etta James, Stunning Singer|url=https://www.npr.org/2012/01/20/123125338/remembering-etta-james-stunning-singer|last=Ulaby|first=Neda|date=January 20, 2012|website=NPR|language=en|access-date=May 18, 2020|archive-date=July 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731032048/https://www.npr.org/2012/01/20/123125338/remembering-etta-james-stunning-singer|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1966, she was arrested for writing bad checks; she was placed on probation and ordered to pay a $500 fine.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=August 22, 1968|title=Etta James Faces New Cort Action In Los Angeles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RzgDAAAAMBAJ&q=etta+james+jet&pg=PA57|magazine=Jet|pages=5|access-date=October 17, 2020|archive-date=December 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218033457/https://books.google.com/books?id=RzgDAAAAMBAJ&q=etta+james+jet&pg=PA57|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1969, she spent 10 days in jail for violating her probation.<ref name=":0" />

James was continuously in and out of rehabilitation centers, including the Tarzana Treatment Centers, in Los Angeles. Her husband, Artis Mills, accepted responsibility when they were both arrested for heroin possession, and served a 10-year prison sentence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20061790,00.html|title=How Etta Got Her Groove Back|work=People|access-date=February 6, 2009|archive-date=July 28, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728145558/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20061790,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He was released from prison in 1981.

In 1973, James was arrested for possession of heroin.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=July 19, 1973|title=Etta James Drugs Trial Postponed|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NEMDAAAAMBAJ&q=etta+james+arrested+jet&pg=PA59|magazine=Jet|pages=59|access-date=October 17, 2020|archive-date=December 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218034534/https://books.google.com/books?id=NEMDAAAAMBAJ&q=etta%20james%20arrested%20jet&pg=PA59|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1974, she was sentenced to drug treatment instead of prison. During this period, she became addicted to methadone and would mix her doses with heroin.<ref name=":0" /> She was in the Tarzana Psychiatric Hospital for 17 months, starting at the age of 36, and went through a great struggle. In her 1995 autobiography ''Rage to Survive'', she said that the time she spent in the hospital changed her life. After leaving treatment, however, her substance abuse continued, particularly after she developed a relationship with a man who was also using drugs.

In 2010, James received treatment for a dependency on [[Analgesic|painkillers]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2010-02-11-etta-james_N.htm?csp=34 | work=USA Today | title=Son says singer Etta James changes hospitals | date=February 11, 2010 | access-date=May 2, 2010 | archive-date=February 16, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100216053506/http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2010-02-11-etta-james_N.htm?csp=34 | url-status=live }}</ref>