Tina Turner, “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll” has died
“My legacy is that I stayed on course… from the beginning to the end because I believed in something inside of me.” ~Tina Turner
Legendary music singer, Tine Turner, died Wednesday, May 24 at the age of 83.
She died peacefully in her Küsnacht, Switzerland home where she has been living since the mid 1990’s.
Turner reportedly suffered multiple illnesses throughout her life, including high blood pressure, vertigo, a stroke, intestinal cancer and kidney failure.
Message regarding her passing from the Official Facebook Page for Tina Turner reads:
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner. 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.”
Turner, born Anna Mae Bullock, was born on November 26, 1939 in Brownsville, Tennessee.
The legend was known for a myriad of hits throughout her musical career including, ‘What's Love Got To Do With it’, ‘Private Dancer’, ‘Simply the Best’, ‘We Don’t Need Another Hero’, just to name a few. She also contributed vocals to the USA for Africa, “We are the World track.”
The ‘Proud Mary’ singer began her career with ex-husband, Ike Turner in the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, singing soul and blues music. She eventually would come to be affectionately known as the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ after merging into the rock genre.
Turner has received various awards and achievements in the industry. She has sold more than 100 million records worldwide. She received 12 Grammy Awards, including eight competitive awards, three Grammy Hall of Fame awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
She was twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with Ike Turner in 1991 and as a solo artist in 2021. Turner has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. She was also a 2005 recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors and Women of the Year award, according to Wikipedia.
Rolling Stone ranked her among the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Additionally, Turner was the first black artist and first woman to be featured on the cover of Rolling Stone, according to BMG, music publishing company.
Rolling Stone Cover, November 25, 1967. Photograph of Tina Turner by Baron Wolman.
“Tina Turner is an incredible chick. She comes in this very short miniskirt, way above her knees, with zillions of silver sequins and sparklers pasted on it. Her dancing is completely unrestrained. Unlike the polite hand-clapping Motown groups, she and the Ikettes scream, wail and do some fantastic boogaloo. No matter what you may think of the music, Tina Turner is worth sitting down and paying close attention to, ”Baron Wolman.
Long time fans of Turner, celebrities and more left heartfelt tributes on the artist’s Official Facebook page:
Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama released a joint statement:
“Tina Turner was raw. She was powerful. She was unstoppable. And she was unapologetically herself—speaking and singing her truth through joy and pain; triumph and tragedy," the Obamas wrote. "Today we join fans around the world in honoring the Queen of Rock and Roll, and a star whose light will never fade.”
Actress Angela Bassett:
“Through her courage in telling her story, her commitment to stay the course in her life, no matter the sacrifice, and her determination to carve out a space in rock and roll for herself and for others who look like her, Tina Turner showed others who lived in fear what a beautiful future filled with love, compassion, and freedom should look like. Her final words to me - for me - were "You never mimicked me. Instead, you reached deep into your soul, found your inner Tina, and showed her to the world." I shall hold these words close to my heart for the rest of my days. I am honored to have known Tina Turner. And Tina Turner is a gift that will always be "simply the best." Angels sing thee to thy rest…Queen.”
Talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor Oprah Winfrey:
“I started out as a fan of Tina Turner, then a full-on groupie, following her from show to show around the country, and then, eventually, we became real friends. She is our forever goddess of rock ‘n’ roll who contained a magnitude of inner strength that grew throughout her life. She was a role model not only for me but for the world. She encouraged a part of me I didn’t know existed.
Once she claimed her freedom from years of domestic abuse, her life became a clarion call for triumph. I’m grateful for her courage, for showing us what victory looks like wearing Manolo’s and a leather miniskirt. She once shared with me that when her time came to leave this earth, she would not be afraid, but excited and curious. Because she had learned how to LIVE surrounded by her beloved husband, Erwin, and friends. I am a better woman, a better human, because her life touched mine. She was indeed simply the best.”
In one of her last interviews with The Guardian on April 9, Turner said she wanted to be remembered as the ‘Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll’.
As the Queen of Rock’n’Roll,” Turner said. “As a woman who showed other women that it is OK to strive for success on their own terms.”
Read additional tributes at www.facebook.com/TinaTurner.
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