Tina Turner has died after a battle with chronic illness. The singer, often referred to as the “Queen of Rock and Roll,” was 83 at the time of her passing. Turner is best known for her raspy vocal tone on classic songs like “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and “River Deep-Mountain High,” and is regarded as one of the best singers of all time. Beginning her career with her abusive partner Ike Turner, Turner would go on to have massive career resurgence as a solo artist in the 1980s and leave a long-lasting legacy that has inspired artists from Janet Jackson to Beyoncé.
In her 2018 memoir, Turner shared that she had been suffering a bout of life-threatening illnesses, suffering a stroke in 2013 and receiving an intestinal cancer diagnosis in 2016. She reportedly died “peacefully” in her Küsnacht, Switzerland home, her family shared in a statement this Wednesday.
Born Anna Mae Bullock on Nov. 26, 1939 in Brownsville, Tennessee, Turner would frequent St. Louis night clubs with her sister. One night, at the age of 18, Turner watched singer Ike Turner performing with his band Kings of Rhythm and was so captivated by his performance, she asked if she could sing with him. One night, the band’s drummer offered Tina the microphone during an intermission and after impressing Ike and his bandmates, Tina joined the group as a featured vocalist. When Ike’s scheduled vocalist didn’t show up for a paid recording session, he offered the song “Fool In Love” to Tina instead, and gave her the stage name she would carry the rest of her career. During this time, Tina gave birth to her first child and moved in with Ike after the baby’s father returned to his hometown. Tina described their initial relationship as that of “brother and sister” but they would begin a romantic relationship shortly before the release of their first single as a duo.
“Fool in Love” was an immediate hit and the duo became a mainstream sensation. With all the success came relationship turmoil, as Ike was frequently abusing drugs and quick to turn violent with Tina. While their career continued to rise throughout the 1960s and ’70s with rock songs like their cover of the Creedance Clearwater Revival song “Proud Mary” gaining mainstream success, their private life was far from glamorous. Years of Ike growing more reliant on cocaine, violent outbursts, and his promiscuity took a toll on Tina and she would leave him in 1976 after playing a show together.
Despite being a household name, Tina’s solo career initially struggled to take off. Her first solo album in 1978 failed to chart and she seemed destined to forever be a nostalgia act, but Tina slowly found her footing, carving out her own identity by developing a sexier image (those legs!) and working with designer Bob Mackie (known for his work with Cher). In 1983, a cover of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” became a moderate hit in the U.S. and a top 10 hit in the U.K.
Building on the momentum of that single, Tina dropped “What’s Love Got to Do with It” and it instantly shot to the top of the Billboard charts, becoming her only number one single in the U.S. The song showed audiences Tina was not only back, but even better on her own and at the time, that kind of career resurgence for an artist who gained popularity in the ’60s was unheard of. Tina showed she wasn’t interested in merely being a retro act and was willing to embrace a more modern sound and image in the MTV age.
Her career reached new peaks with the song’s success and she walked away with several Grammys and a younger, dedicated fanbase. Private Dancer, released in 1984, was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful; the follow-up singles were loved, and the album’s success led to Tina starring in films like Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and performing with Mick Jagger during the famous Live Aid benefit concert in 1985.
Tina’s 1986 album Break Every Rule would prove to be a big success as well, topping charts in four countries and spanning singles like “Back Where You Started” and “Typical Male.” With the release of her first memoir, I, Tina, that same year, Tina would set the blueprint for celebrity memoirs and give hope to those themselves suffering from domestic abuse. The ’90s continued to be kind to Tina; the star would embark on multiple high-selling tours and release her final solo album Twenty Four Seven in 1999 before retiring in 2000. She would later marry her long-time partner, German former music executive Erwin Bach, in 2013 in Switzerland, which they would eventually make their permanent residence.
Through her powerful and emotive voice, fiery stage presence, and moving lyrics, Turner formed a uniquely impressive career and her renewed success in the 1980s and the conversation she led by opening up about surviving domestic abuse continues to prove that it’s never too late to become who you were always meant to be. She will be missed.
