Legendary singer Tina Turner dies aged 83
ITV News' Entertainment Reporter Rishi Davda looks back on Tina Turner's illustrious career
Singer Tina Turner has died at the age of 83 after a long illness, her publicist has said.
Turner is one of rock’s most famous voices and had hits including Proud Mary and The Best.
In a career spanning over 60 years, the American-Swiss singer, who was born Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee, won eight competitive Grammy Awards and has a star on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the St Louis Walk of Fame.
Turner died “peacefully” on Wednesday after a long illness in her home in Kusnacht near Zurich, Switzerland, according to her publicist.
The statement added that a private funeral ceremony, attended by close friends and family, would be held, and that further press inquiries would not be answered.
Stars including Sir Mick Jagger, Gloria Gaynor, Elton John and Naomi Campbell were among the first to pay tribute to Turner, widely referred to as the Queen of Rock and Roll, following the announcement.
Rolling Stones frontman Sir Mick took to Instagram to honour his friend. He wrote: “I’m so saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend Tina Turner. She was truly an enormously talented performer and singer. “She was inspiring, warm, funny and generous. She helped me so much when I was young and I will never forget her.”
Turner sold more than 100 million records worldwide, including certified Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) album sales of 10 million.
Turner also previously held a Guinness World Record for the largest paying audience for a solo performer – attracting an audience of 180,000 for her show at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1988.
Her autobiography, I, Tina, was turned into the 1993 film What’s Love Got To Do With It, dramatising the mother-of-two’s famously turbulent relationship with Ike Turner and it also saw Angela Bassett nominated for an Oscar for her performance as Tina in the biopic.
In her 1986 book, the singer narrated a harrowing tale of abuse, including suffering a broken nose during the course of her marriage to Ike.
She met her second husband, music producer Erwin Bach, in the 1980s. They tied the knot in a ceremony years later on the banks of Lake Zurich in Switzerland in 2013.
Turner's famous hits over the years includes the Bond theme track for 1995’s GoldenEye, with a tune of the same name co-written by Bono and The Edge of U2 fame, and other tracks include We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome), What’s Love Got to Do With It, Private Dancer, Let’s Stay Together and many more.
Last year, Turner said following her son Ronnie’s death at the age of 62 that he “left the world far too early”.
Her other biological son, Craig Raymond Turner, died aged 59 in 2018.
In 2005, President George W Bush famously described her legs as “the most famous in showbusiness” and it was reported she insured them for hundreds of millions of US dollars.
A musical based on her life, titled Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, opened on London’s West End in 2018.
She also dabbled in acting, starring in the 1985 film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome alongside Mel Gibson and she also appeared in 1993’s Last Action Hero.
In 2021 she sold the rights to her back catalogue after reaching an agreement with BMG for an undisclosed sum, signing over her share of her recordings, her music publishing writer’s share and her name, image and likeness, the company said.
She had suffered ill health in recent years, being diagnosed with intestinal cancer in 2016 and having a kidney transplant in 2017.
A-listers from across the world have paid tribute to "total legend" Tina Turner with touching messages.
“We have lost one of the word’s most exciting and electric performers. A total legend on record and on stage. She was untouchable,” Sir Elton wrote, sharing a picture of the pair together."
Fellow legendary musician Diana Ross said she was “shocked” and “saddened” by the news of Tina Turner’s death.
“Sending condolences to Tina Turner’s family and loved ones,” she wrote on Twitter, sharing a picture of the pair together.
Model Naomi Campbell wrote: “Rest in Peace & Power THE QUEEN , LEGEND, ICON. There will never be another. Cherish my times with you.”
Singer Mariah Carey also penned an emotional message to the star, on Twitter describing her as an "incredible performer, musician and trailblazer".
American actress Viola Davis said Tina Turner was “our first symbol of excellence” and that fans would continue to “bask” in her legacy.
“Iconic. Beautiful. A survivor. Brilliance,” she wrote on Instagram.
“Our first symbol of excellence and unbridled ownership of sexuality!! You were my childhood."
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