Music Legend Tina Turner Dies at 83

Turner had suffered a number of health issues in recent years including cancer, a stroke and kidney failure.

She rose to fame alongside husband Ike in the 1960s with songs including Proud Mary and River Deep, Mountain High.

She divorced the abusive Ike in 1978, and went on to find even greater success as a solo artist in the 1980s.

Dubbed the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Tina Turner was famed for her raunchy and energetic stage performances and husky, powerful vocals.

Turner won eight Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 as a solo artist, having first been inducted alongside Ike Turner in 1991.

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Upon her solo induction, the Hall of Fame noted how she had “expanded the once-limited idea of how a Black woman could conquer a stage and be both a powerhouse and a multidimensional being”.

Younger stars who have felt her influence include Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, Janelle Monae and Rihanna.

Turner’s manager of 30 years, Roger Davies, said in a statement that “Tina was a unique and remarkable force of nature with her strength, incredible energy and immense talent”.

“From the first day I met her in 1980, she believed in herself completely when few others did at that time… I will miss her deeply,” he added.

American singer Gloria Gaynor, who also rose to fame in the 1960s, said Turner “paved the way for so many women in rock music, black and white”.

There were also tributes from Supermodel Naomi Campbell, Basketball legend Magic Johnson and singers Kelly Rowland, Ciara and Blondie’s Debbie Harry.

On Instagram, The Rolling Stones frontman Sir Mick Jagger said Turner was “inspiring, warm, funny and generous” and helped him when he was young.

Sir Elton John, who in his autobiography wrote about the heated arguments the pair had while trying to work together in 1997, said she was one of the world’s “most exciting and electric performers”.

Actress Viola Davis praised Turner as “our first symbol of excellence and unbridled ownership of sexuality!!”

“Today we say goodbye to a dear friend who leaves us all her greatest work: her music.”

Who is Tina Turner?

Born in Tennessee into a sharecropping family, she first found prominence as one of the backing singers for her husband’s band The Kings of Rhythm.

She soon went to to front the band, and the couple tasted commercial success with Fool in Love and It’s Gonna Work Out Fine, which made the US charts in the early 60s.

Their other hits included 1973’s Nutbush City Limits, about the small town where Tina was born. But Ike’s physical and emotional abuse was taking its toll.

It was he who changed her name from her birth name, Anna Mae Bullock, to Tina Turner – a decision he took without her knowledge, one example of his controlling behaviour.