Tina Turner, the unstoppable singer and stage performer who teamed with husband Ike Turner for a dynamic run of hit records and live shows in the 1960s and ’70s passed away after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland, according to her manager.
Tina Turner performing during Calvin Klein's AIDS Project Los Angeles mega-gala at the Hollywood Bowl on June 4, 1993, in Los Angeles, California.
Her bold smile and strong cheekbones, and her palette of wigs with an iconic hairdo were identifiable from afar and she did not shy from showing off her muscular, quick-stepping legs.
The singer, who moved her audience with her fearlessness and determination despite a horrifying marriage, showed the world that it was possible to tell the story and turn life's struggles into art. Turner was among the first celebrities to speak candidly about domestic abuse.
Her ferocious but resilient appearance also awarded her the role of villain in two cult classic movies – “The Who’s Tommy” and “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome”.
Turner had admirers ranging from legends like Mick Jagger to Beyoncé to Mariah Carey, and was one of the world’s most popular entertainers, known for a core of pop, rock and rhythm and blues favourites: “Proud Mary,” “Nutbush City Limits,” “River Deep, Mountain High.
Husband-and-wife R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner pose for a portrait with their back up dancers "The Ikettes", 1968.
Ike & Tina Turner performing onstage with a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar in 1964 in Dallas Fort Worth, Texas.
Ike & Tina Turner Revue performing on stage during recording of the Associated Rediffusion Television pop music television show Ready Steady Go! at Wembley Television Studios in London in September 1966. The show would be broadcast on ITV on 30th September 1966.
Tim Capello on the saxophone, with Tina Turner at her concert at the Wembley Arena in London, England, as part of her Wildest Dreams World Tour, 23rd July 1996.
After a brief period of unsuccessful numbers at the end of 70s as she touched 40, Turner returned to the charts in her post-Ike era with her “Private Dancer” album that came out in May 1984.
She was also the voice behind the 80s’ hits “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” “We Don’t Need Another Hero” and a cover of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together”, among others.
She sold more than 150 million records worldwide, won 12 Grammys, was voted along with Ike into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 (and on her own in 2021 ), and was also honoured at the Kennedy Center in 2005, with Beyoncé and Oprah Winfrey among those praising her.
Turner suffered multiple life-threatening illnesses throughout her life, she revealed in her 2018 memoir My Love Story. Turner had two sons: Craig, with saxophonist Raymond Hill; and Ronald, with Ike Turner.
On her second marriage with Erwin Bach, Turner told the press at the time, “It’s that happiness that people talk about, when you wish for nothing when you can finally take a deep breath and say, ‘Everything is good.’” She moved to Switzerland with him in 2013.
