Tina Turner, one of the most influential and celebrated singers of all time, has died at the age of 83, her family said on Wednesday. The “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll” passed away peacefully at her home in Switzerland after a long illness.
Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee, in 1939. She began her career in the 1950s as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, a musical partnership with her abusive husband Ike Turner. She rose to fame with hits such as “River Deep – Mountain High”, “Proud Mary” and “Nutbush City Limits”.
In 1967, she left Ike and filed for divorce, launching a successful solo career that spanned more than four decades. She became a global superstar with albums such as Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and Tina: What’s Love Got to Do with It, a biopic based on her life story.
She retired from performing in 2009 after her final tour, which was one of the highest–grossing tours of all time. She became a Swiss citizen in 2013 and married her long partner Erwin Bach in 2014. She published a memoir titled My Love Story in 2018 and a documentary titled Tina was released in 2021.
Turner was widely admired for her powerful voice, energetic stage presence, and remarkable resilience. She overcame poverty, racism, domestic violence, and health issues to become an icon of empowerment and inspiration for millions of fans around the world.
Her family said in a statement: “Tina Turner was a music legend and a role model. With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow. Today we say goodbye to a dear friend who leaves us all her greatest work: her music. All our heartfelt compassion goes out to her family. Tina, we will miss you dearly”.
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