Tina Turner, the luscious, stomping, tousle-haired rock goddess who packed stadiums, won a dozen Grammy Awards and won the adoration of fans around the world in an electrifying music career that spanned five decades, died Wednesday in his home near Zurich. , Switzerland, according to a statement from her publicist.
She was 83 years old.
«With her, the world loses a music legend and role model,» Turner’s publicist Bernard Doherty said in a statement. He added that there will be a private funeral ceremony for close friends and family.
Turner’s high-flying but tumultuous life arc was a legend in the music industry, as well as the basis for a successful 1986 autobiography («I, Tina»), a Hollywood biopic («What’s Love Got to Do With It») and a Broadway. jukebox show (“Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”).
She rose from her rural roots to the heights of national stardom, bursting into the public consciousness as one half of the sensational rhythm and blues duo Ike & Tina Turner and later establishing herself as one of the most popular black soloists in the world.
She was the first woman and the first black artist to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone. in just his second number – and her successful solo career broke barriers for future generations of black women in music.
But along the way, Turner experienced personal upheaval and private trauma. She alleged that Ike Turner, her ex-husband and artistic collaborator, subjected her to years of horrific physical abuse and tried to seize control of virtually every aspect of her life.
“It was my relationship with Ike that made me the most unhappy. At first, she had been really in love with him. Look what he had done for me. But it was totally unpredictable,» Turner wrote in «I, Tina,» an autobiography by music critic and MTV News correspondent Kurt Loder.
In the late 1970s, Turner managed to free herself from her husband and set out on her own. In the ’80s, Turner achieved one of the most triumphant comebacks in modern rock music, reinventing herself as a joyously liberated hitmaker who topped the Billboard charts.
An extremely talented vocalist who sang songs with abandon, Turner recorded song after song to the top of the charts in the ’80s, but one song in particular made her a superstar: «What’s Love Got to Do With It «. anthem from the 1984 album «Private Dancer.»
Turner’s other big hits of the time included «Better Be Good to Me,» «We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome),» «Typical Male,» «The Best,» and «I Didn’t Wanna Fight.»
In the decades that followed, he toured the world, racked up awards, occasionally acted in films, and remained one of the iconic musical personalities of the late 20th century. He decided to retire in 2009 after the conclusion of his 50th anniversary tour.
“I’ve done enough,” Turner announced to a crowd of 75,000 at Zurich’s Letzigrund stadium that year. “I have been acting for 44 years. I should really hang up my dancing shoes.»
Turner has won eight competitive Grammy Awards, three Grammy Hall of Fame Awards, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement trophy. She was twice inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, first with Ike Turner (1991), then as a solo artist (2021).
humble beginnings
Anna Mae Bullock was born on November 26, 1939 in rural Brownsville, Tennessee, into a family of sharecroppers. She loved to sing as a child. When the family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, she threw herself into the city’s R&B community.
In the mid-1950s, she met Ike Turner at a concert by his band, Kings of Rhythm. Soon enough, she was part of the group, performing under the alliterative name he chose for her: Tina Turner.
The Ike and Tina Turner Revue, as the ensemble was known at the time, drew attention for its lively performances. Ike was a gifted musician in his own right, but Tina was clearly the main attraction, wowing audiences with her vocal prowess, energetic dance, and sheer enthusiasm.
The group struggled to find success in the recording booth until 1960, when «A Fool in Love» climbed the charts and raised the magazine’s national profile. Two years later, Ike and Tina were married, and the duo recorded several popular singles.
«Tina Turner is an amazing girl», Rolling Stone co-founder Jann Wenner wrote in 1967. “She comes in a very short miniskirt, well above her knees, with millions of silver sequins and sparklers attached to it. Her dancing is completely wild.
“Unlike the politely clapping Motown bands, she and the Ikettes scream, wail and do a fantastic boogaloo,” the reporter added. «No matter what you think of music, Tina Turner is worth sitting down and paying close attention to.»
But behind the scenes, the Turners’ marriage was deeply troubled. Ike, who struggled with addiction and psychological problems, frequently lashed out at his wife physically and emotionally. He also had affairs with other women.
Years of mistreatment took a heavy toll, and one day he decided enough was enough. She left Ike after they got into a fight on the way to the Dallas Statler Hilton on July 1, 1976, leaving alone with just 36 cents and a Mobil credit card in her pocket.
She filed for divorce later that month, citing irreconcilable differences, and the legal separation was finalized in 1978. (Ike, during the couple’s 1977 divorce proceedings, claimed that the two were never legally married as he was still married to another woman at the time of separation). the ceremony.)
Turner spent the next few years trying to find his footing. He toured to pay off debts, opened for the Rolling Stones in 1981 and earned income where he could, like guest appearances on TV shows like «The Hollywood Squares.»
In those days, Turner was considered a «nostalgia act,» a talented but not exactly culturally vital relic of ’60s pop. But in 1984, that all changed: Turner released his debut solo album, «Private Dancer,» a smash hit. commercial and critical
The album sold more than 20 million copies worldwide and won three Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Best Female Vocal Performance for «What’s Love Got to Do With It.» Turner also presented a new look (long hair, high heels) that emphasized her sex appeal.
Turner thrived in the ’80s, lighting up concert halls with his joyous theatrics, dynamic voice and commanding stage presence. She was a symbol of female empowerment and black success, reaching new creative heights even as racist record executives tried to get in her way.
pain and survival
In the HBO documentary «Tina» (2021), she recalled that many journalists seemed uninterested in her past experiences with abuse, forgetting, or completely ignoring, her second act as a megawatt solo artist and inspiration to women everywhere. the world.
In the film, she also spoke about her own journey towards acceptance and even forgiveness: «By not forgiving, you suffer,» she told the documentarians. “I had an abusive life. … That is what you have … so you have to accept it.”
Turner’s painful experiences with Ike were dramatized in the 1993 biopic What’s Love Got to Do With It. Angela Bassett played Tina and Laurence Fishburne played Ike; both were nominated for Oscars at the 66th Academy Awards.
The real-life Turner eventually found love with German record executive Erwin Bach, whom she began dating in 1986 and married in a civil ceremony in Switzerland in 2013 after a 27-year romantic relationship. (Bach was one of the executive producers of the HBO documentary.)
Turner’s musical success was accompanied by movie roles, including «Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome,» released in 1985. He went on to release popular albums in the late ’80s and ’90s, including «Break Every Rule,» «Foreign Affair,» and «Foreign Affair.» and «Wildest Dreams.»
“All the Best,” a greatest hits album, debuted in 2004. Five years later, Turner decided to cut back on public appearances and withdraw from music business lawsuits.
He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. In 2021, he sold his music rights to BMG Rights Management for $50 million; Later that month, she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist, and she accepted the award via satellite from her home in Zurich.
«If they’re still giving me awards at 81, I must have done something right,» Turner said with a smile on his face. his acceptance speech.