Twelve-time-Grammy award winner Tina Turner, whom Rolling Stone ranked as one of the greatest artists of all time, died on May 24. Her spokesperson issued a statement, “Tina Turner, the ‘Queen of Rock’ n Roll’ has died peacefully today at the age of 83 after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland. With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model.”
Born Annie Mae Bullock in Brownsville, Tennessee, in 1939, Turner became a citizen of Switzerland in 2013, relinquishing her American citizenship. After meeting Ike Turner in St. Louis, Missouri, the singer, dancer, actress, and author became a world-renowned performer as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before becoming a solo artist following a tumultuous abusive marriage to Ike, which ended in 1978. The prolific performer married Erwin Bach in 2013 and remained with him until her death.
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Turner’s solo career made history with the 1984 multi-platinum album “Private Dancer,” which boasted “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” the hit single that won a Grammy for Record of the Year and became the title of the biopic about Tina’s life. Angela Bassett was nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars for her portrayal of the icon.
Tina has a star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood and St. Louis. She was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, with Ike Turner in 1991 and as a solo artist in 2021.
In 2018, Turner revealed in her memoir “My Love Story” that she had suffered several life-threatening illnesses, which included a stroke in 2013, intestinal cancer in 2016, and hypertension, which led to kidney failure. At the time, the mesmerizing musician considered assisted suicide. However, her husband, Bach, donated his kidney and she underwent a transplant in 2017.
Also a successful actress, Turner will be missed, but her legacy and magnificent body of work are timeless.
Earvin “Magic” Johnson tweeted, “Rest in peace one of my favorite artists of all time, the legendary queen of rock n’ roll Tina Turner.”