
Legendary singer Tina TurnerĀ (bornĀ Anna Mae Bullock) has died at the age of 83. Tina was an American-born and naturalized Swiss singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and author. Widely referred to as the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, she rose to prominence as the lead singer of theĀ Ike & Tina Turner Revue before launching a successful career as a solo performer.
Turner began her career withĀ Ike Turner’sĀ Kings of RhythmĀ in 1957. Under the name Little Ann, she appeared on her first record, “Boxtop”, in 1958. In 1960, she debuted as Tina Turner with the hit duet single “A Fool in Love”. The duo Ike & Tina Turner became “one of the most formidable live acts in history”.[5]Ā They released hits such as “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine”, “River Deep ā Mountain High”, “Proud Mary”, and “Nutbush City Limits”, before disbanding in 1976.
In the 1980s, Turner launched “one of the greatest comebacks in music history”. Her 1984Ā multi-platinumĀ albumĀ Private DancerĀ contained the hit song “What’s Love Got to Do with It”, which won theĀ Grammy Award for Record of the YearĀ and became her first and only number-one song on theĀ BillboardĀ Hot 100. Aged 44, she was the oldest female solo artist to top the Hot 100. Her chart success continued with “Better Be Good to Me”, “Private Dancer”, “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)”, “Typical Male”, “The Best”, “I Don’t Wanna Fight”, and “GoldenEye”. During herĀ Break Every Rule World TourĀ in 1988, she set a then-Guinness World RecordĀ for theĀ largest paying audience (180,000) for a solo performer.
Turner also acted in the filmsĀ TommyĀ (1975) andĀ Mad Max Beyond ThunderdomeĀ (1985). In 1993,Ā What’s Love Got to Do with It, a biographical film adapted from her autobiographyĀ I, Tina: My Life Story, was released. In 2009, Turner retired after completing herĀ Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour, which is theĀ 15th-highest-grossing tourĀ of the 2000s. In 2018, she became the subject of theĀ jukebox musicalĀ Tina. Having sold over 100 million records worldwide, Turner is one of theĀ best-selling recording artists of all time. She received 12Ā Grammy Awards, which include eight competitive awards, threeĀ Grammy Hall of FameĀ awards and aĀ Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
She was the first black artist and first woman to be on the cover of Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone ranked her among the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Turner had a star on theĀ Hollywood Walk of FameĀ and theĀ St. Louis Walk of Fame. She was twice inducted into theĀ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with Ike Turner in 1991 and as a solo artist in 2021. She was also a 2005 recipient of theĀ Kennedy Center HonorsĀ andĀ Women of the Year award.
Tina as in a very abusive relationship with her then husband Ike Turner but it was only in 1976 that she fled with only 36 cents and a Mobil credit card in her pocket to a Ramada Inn. After the divorce was finalized she struggled financially to support herself and her kids. Things got better for her in the 1980s when she toured steadily and then her big comeback smash of 1984 with Private Dancer. Later in life she converted to Buddhism and began living at ChĆ¢teau Algonquin in KĆ¼snachtĀ on the shore ofĀ Lake Zurich in 1994. She had met German music executive Erwin Bach in 1994 and despite he was 16 years her junior, they began a relationship. In July 2013, after a 27-year romantic relationship, they married in a civil ceremony on the banks ofĀ Lake ZurichĀ inĀ KĆ¼snacht, Switzerland.
Turner revealed in her 2018 memoirĀ My Love Story that she had suffered multiple life-threatening illnesses. In 2013, three weeks after her wedding to Erwin Bach, she suffered aĀ strokeĀ and had to learn to walk again. In 2016, she was diagnosed withĀ intestinal cancer. Turner opted forĀ homeopathicĀ remedies to treat herĀ high blood pressure. Her hypertension resulted in damage to her kidneys and eventualĀ kidney failure. Her chances of receiving a kidney were low, and she was urged to startĀ dialysis. In 2013, three weeks after her wedding to Erwin Bach, she suffered aĀ strokeĀ and had to learn to walk again. In 2016, she was diagnosed withĀ intestinal cancer. Turner opted forĀ homeopathicĀ remedies to treat herĀ high blood pressure. Her hypertension resulted in damage to her kidneys and eventualĀ kidney failure. Her chances of receiving a kidney were low, and she was urged to startĀ dialysis. On May 24, 2023, Turner died at her home inĀ KĆ¼snacht, Switzerland, aged 83, following a long illness, including cancer, strokes, and kidney failure in her final years.