Her life was larger than life. What she went through would have broken lesser humans.
But, she was Tina Turner.
Rip Tina Turner. Here doing Proud Mary on her final tour pic.twitter.com/8M9ZDAK9NJ
— ↙️Ryan B+ (@TheChewDefense) May 24, 2023
Legendary singer Tina Turner, known for hits including The Best and What's Love Got to Do With It, dies aged 83 https://t.co/zWhb9MAIc1
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) May 24, 2023
Legendary singer Tina Turner dies at 83
By Hillel Italie
Associated Press
•
May 24, 2023 at 2:35 pm
NEW YORK — Tina Turner, the unstoppable singer and stage performer who teamed with husband Ike Turner for a dynamic run of hit records and live shows in the 1960s and ‘70s and survived her horrifying marriage to triumph in middle age with the chart-topping “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” has died at 83.Turner died Tuesday, after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland, according to her manager. She became a Swiss citizen a decade ago.
Few stars traveled so far — she was born Anna Mae Bullock in a segregated Tennessee hospital and spent her latter years on a 260,000 square foot estate on Lake Zurich — and overcame so much. Physically battered, emotionally devastated and financially ruined by her 20-year relationship with Ike Turner, she became a superstar on her own in her 40s, at a time when most of her peers were on their way down, and remained a top concert draw for years after.
With admirers ranging from Beyoncé to Mick Jagger, Turner was one of the world’s most successful entertainers, known for a core of pop, rock and rhythm and blues favorites: “Proud Mary,” “Nutbush City Limits,” “River Deep, Mountain High,” and the hits she had in the ‘80s, among them “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” “We Don’t Need Another Hero” and a cover of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.”
Her trademarks were her growling contralto, her bold smile and strong cheekbones, her palette of wigs and the muscular, quick-stepping legs she did not shy from showing off. She sold more than 150 million records worldwide, won 12 Grammys, was voted along with Ike into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 (and on her own in 2021) and was honored at the Kennedy Center in 2005, with Beyoncé and Oprah Winfrey among those praising her. Her life became the basis for a film, a Broadway musical and an HBO documentary in 2021 that she called her public farewell.
Tina Turner was an even bigger star in Europe than she was in America. "No one in America knows that. I mean, people are always shocked when I explain," Tina Turner told Mike Wallace in 1996. https://t.co/zIUAs9mfhw pic.twitter.com/w4W7uSAe4M
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) May 24, 2023
Whenever one of our Legends pass I think of Oprah’s Legends Ball. Many of the Icons in the photo have passed on but I’m glad they got this moment to smell their flowers 💐.
We speak your name Queen Tina Turner 🕊 pic.twitter.com/y57kRCiVUj— VINCENT (@Vince_Aries) May 24, 2023
Tina Turner. Icon and Queen of Rock and Roll. A life of triumph and power, in voice, spirit, and impact. May she rest in peace. This one hits hard.
— Dan Rather (@DanRather) May 24, 2023
Angela Bassett pays tribute to Tina Turner: "While we mourn the loss of this iconic voice and presence, she gave us more than we could have ever asked. She gave us her whole self. And Tina Turner is a gift that that will always be 'simply the best.'" https://t.co/0zSzIw99Jr pic.twitter.com/IHYvu6GVJs
— Variety (@Variety) May 24, 2023
tina turner speaking on why she was at peace with transitioning. wow! pic.twitter.com/FSOgOhYHfb
— chey (@cheyennebeam_) May 24, 2023
Tina Turner hanging off the Eiffel Tower.
One of Peter Lindbergh’s most iconic photographs. pic.twitter.com/TzkhHadVpX
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) May 24, 2023
“I don’t necessarily want to be a ‘strong’ person. I had a terrible life. I just kept going. You just keep going, and you hope that something will come.”
– Tina Turner, RIP [quote via Maia Duerr,📸Jim O'Neal, 1958, colorized] pic.twitter.com/t7MKJm35vY— Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) May 24, 2023
The most iconic entrance to a concert ever made.
A woman who could captivate & enthral a huge room simply by walking through it. (Well. Strutting).
And the way she grabs the mic 🎤!
A stunning performance before she even sings a note #Tina #TinaTurner pic.twitter.com/RSbFiEH7BF
— Gary Nunn 🏳️🌈🚴🏼🇬🇧🇦🇺 (@GaryNunn1) May 24, 2023
Before she was the Queen of Rock and Roll, Tina Turner was a farmer’s daughter in Tennessee. As a child, she sang in the church choir before becoming one of the most successful recording artists of all time.
In addition to being a once-in-a-generation talent that changed…
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 24, 2023
“What a legacy she left us all”: @GayleKing and @Oprah shared special moments with Tina Turner, from concerts to dance lessons to meals together.
Oprah says she was a longtime fan of Turner's — and the singer exceeded and transcended her expectations in friendship. pic.twitter.com/1INqw1BJ1j
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) May 25, 2023
Tina Turner's legacy elevates Black women’s unique perspectives on issues from gender & social class to loss & love. The often challenging circumstances in which she forged her identity are crucial to her story & music history. It's our honor to remember & share her legacy. pic.twitter.com/I1wdnTniDr
— Smithsonian NMAAHC (@NMAAHC) May 25, 2023
And that is why these comparisons y’all try to make are silly. There is a difference between being the best among your peers and being The First Ever and the absolute Best by which all others are measured.
— 👑 🥂Genghis Kellz (@KMJeezy) May 24, 2023
Legendary singer #TinaTurner is the latest beloved Black celebrity we lost this year. Beloved singer Tina Turner died on May 24 at the age of 83. https://t.co/QioPVwkdRM
— The Root (@TheRoot) May 24, 2023
The legend, Tina Turner. 🔥💚pic.twitter.com/FVsR8weW2Z
— Ryan Shead (@RyanShead) May 24, 2023
Tina Turner doing Proud Mary is unforgettable. 🔥
pic.twitter.com/sdcn4LqMe9— Ryan Shead (@RyanShead) May 24, 2023
"Tina Turner walked away from the spotlight and her volatile, abusive husband in the 1970s, remade herself as a solo artist, sold more than 100 million records, won eight Grammy Awards, and became a brighter star in her 40s and 50s than she had been in her youth." https://t.co/A8jg9RF2Jx
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) May 24, 2023
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. Today we join fans around the world in honoring the Queen of Rock and Roll, and a star whose light will never… pic.twitter.com/qXl2quZz1c
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 24, 2023
Tina Turner, Magnetic Singer of Explosive Power, Is Dead at 83
Hailed in the 1960s for her dynamic performances with her first husband, Ike, she became a sensation as a recording artist, often echoing her personal struggles in her songs.By William Grimes
May 24, 2023
Updated 4:47 p.m. ET
Tina Turner, the earthshaking soul singer whose rasping vocals, sexual magnetism and explosive energy made her an unforgettable live performer and one of the most successful recording artists of all time, died on Wednesday at her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland, near Zurich. She was 83.Her publicist Bernard Doherty announced the death in a statement but did not provide the cause. She had a stroke in recent years and was known to be struggling with a kidney disease and other illnesses.
Ms. Turner embarked on her half-century career in the late 1950s, while still attending high school in East St. Louis, Ill., when she began singing with Ike Turner and his band, the Kings of Rhythm. At first she was only an occasional performer, but she soon became the group’s star attraction — and Mr. Turner’s wife. With her potent, bluesy voice and her frenetic dancing style, she made an instant impression.
………………………
“In the context of today’s show business, Tina Turner must be the most sensational professional onstage,” Ralph J. Gleason, the influential jazz and pop critic for The San Francisco Chronicle, wrote in a review of a Rolling Stones concert in Oakland in November 1969. “She comes on like a hurricane. She dances and twists and shakes and sings and the impact is instant and total.”
But if the Ike and Tina Turner Revue was a success, the Ike and Tina Turner marriage was not. Mr. Turner was abusive. After she escaped the marriage in her 30s, her career faltered. But her solo album “Private Dancer,” released in 1984, returned her to the spotlight — and lifted her into the pop stratosphere.
Working with younger songwriters, and backed by a smooth, synthesized sound that provided a lustrous wrapping for her raw, urgent vocals, she delivered three mammoth hits: the title song, written by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits; “Better Be Good to Me”; and “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”
Referring to its “innovative fusion of old-fashioned soul singing and new wave synth-pop,” Stephen Holden, in a review for The New York Times, called the album “a landmark not only in the career of the 45-year-old singer, who has been recording since the late 1950s, but in the evolution of pop-soul music itself.”At the 1985 Grammy Awards, “What’s Love Got to Do With It” won three awards, for record of the year, song of the year and best female pop vocal performance, and “Better Be Good To Me” won for best female rock vocal performance.
The album went on to sell five million copies and ignite a touring career that established Ms. Turner as a worldwide phenomenon. In 1988 she appeared before about 180,000 people at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, breaking a record for the largest paying audience for a solo artist.After her “Twenty Four Seven” tour in 2000 sold more than $100 million in tickets, Guinness World Records announced that she had sold more concert tickets than any other solo performer in history.
both tina & angela behind-the-scenes of what’s love got to do with it, 1993. angela EMBODIED tina! pic.twitter.com/fMlcvHIcSC
— khalia. | the little mermaid day 🍨🌿 (@VERONASFILMS) May 24, 2023
As we celebrate Turner’s life and legacy, look back on @Beyonce's tribute to the icon in her unforgettable performance of “Proud Mary.” pic.twitter.com/B9tWFrsjQo
— The Kennedy Center (@kencen) May 24, 2023
Shocked. Saddened. Sending condolences to Tina Turner’s family and loved ones. pic.twitter.com/FGlQfjxaGh
— Ms. Ross (@DianaRoss) May 24, 2023
I’ll never forget this day at the Legends Ball when I met Tina Turner! She rearranged me with her conversation, her spirit, her depth of character, her grace and most of all her ability to be ordinary and a LEGEND at the time!
The world will be missing one bright light tonight! pic.twitter.com/OptXbb7Kgb— Halle Berry (@halleberry) May 24, 2023
tina turner in paris, 1971.
photos by patrice habans. pic.twitter.com/U3DHkpHWQz— maya cade (@mayascade) May 24, 2023
Tina Turner was the first woman to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone (our second issue ever). Rest in peace to a legend and an icon. 🖤 https://t.co/Hhsf51aSY7 pic.twitter.com/oviMOUTdLC
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) May 24, 2023
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. pic.twitter.com/TkG5VrdxXO— Mick Jagger (@MickJagger) May 24, 2023
Beyoncé introducing the LEGEND, Tina Turner. pic.twitter.com/khLYEh4aRl
— 𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚔 (@kingbeyshive) May 25, 2023
"River Deep Mountain High" is a symphonic masterpiece bolstered by soaring "Wall Of Sound" strings. It's Ms. Tina Turner's searing declaration of the profundity devotion.
Rest easy Queen of Rock & Roll ❤️#TinaTurnerRIP #TinaTurner pic.twitter.com/tBNbnAdTkC
— Mary's Clearance Rack! (@IfMarys) May 24, 2023
I remember this like it was yesterday.
Oprah loved her some Tina.
She had us all falling in love with her even more, just seeing there love for each other. pic.twitter.com/LFxirqlZeV
— Nick Guillory (@NickGuillory) May 24, 2023
My favorite clip of Tina Turner. 🫶🏾 pic.twitter.com/sguNOWhts2
— Mel Smith (@iamMelsmith) May 24, 2023
They were like Black superheroes man…all endowed with the power to ease your pain with the sound of their voices. https://t.co/1SAHXa9ARA
— Blackerys Targaryen of House Moderna (@EbonyStarr5) May 24, 2023
No one like her. No one. Tina we will miss you. 😞🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/ED02g62eRq
— Uju (@CrystalUju) May 24, 2023
Tina Turner surprises Oprah Winfrey for her birthday. pic.twitter.com/8OTpI69p1j
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) May 24, 2023
Tina Turner explaining how Mick Jagger’s performance style was influenced by her. pic.twitter.com/BcBOvsoN4p
— Solange’sHairVendor (@BelovedBluv) May 25, 2023
My statement on the passing of Tina Turner. pic.twitter.com/W4dextsssR
— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) May 24, 2023
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) May 25, 2023
Portrait of singer, musician and actress Tina Turner (1969) by J. Robinson #WomensArt RIP pic.twitter.com/4Qcf4CYw0N
— #WOMENSART (@womensart1) May 24, 2023
If you still haven’t watched this incredible documentary on Tina Turner here’s your chance, it’s called “TINA” & it’s on HBO. 🌹 pic.twitter.com/yWdUfn2w1r
— GEMINI’S GROOVE. (@ROZtheCreator) May 24, 2023
Tina Turner's final words to Angela Bassett: "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.’"https://t.co/K3PVgJasJF pic.twitter.com/mdE4kTXgL7
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 24, 2023
Tina Turner on Larry King Live in 1997 on why she decided to leave the United States for good, establishing her home in Europe. By 2013, after living in Switzerland for 20 years she renounced US citizenship. Black Americans expatriating isn’t new, especially throughout the 1900s. pic.twitter.com/iYlsDwIaDP
— 🌺Mai Perkins✨TWNE 📖✍🏿✨ (@FlyMai16) May 24, 2023
When Beyoncé met Tina Turner for the first time #Tina pic.twitter.com/p3Y3qqsPTf
— Viktor’s RenaiSéance (@wondermann5) May 24, 2023
Beyoncé dedicates a special message to Ms. Tina Turner. 🤍#RestInPeaceTinaTurner pic.twitter.com/z1uWndOS3N
— BEYONCÉ LEGION (@BeyLegion) May 24, 2023
I don’t know why, but I thought we’d never lose @tinaturner. I guess I thought if she could survive Ike, she could survive death. What an iconic singer, performer & woman. You empowered so many. You showed them where to find the strength they didn’t know they had. God bless you. https://t.co/FaqCIMkvxH
— Donnie Simpson (@DonnieSimpson) May 24, 2023
Tina Turner echoes in the hearts and thoughts of Janet Jackson fans tonight in Detroit. 💖
🤳 May 24, Detroit, prior to the show.pic.twitter.com/Kn7eFNPt4T
— 100% JANET. The Queen of Pop (Fan Page) (@100percentJANET) May 25, 2023
What’s Love Got To Do With It
Tina Turner (1984)
— Rhythm & Blues 🎙💎 (@RnB_DITR) May 24, 2023
Tina Turner is the diva who taught Mick Jagger how to move; David Bowie how to do rhythm and blues, and the industry how to respect an artist who was unapologetically herself. (via The ReidOut Blog) https://t.co/3DaJrn82Tf
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) May 25, 2023
This tribute to Tina Turner for a grandmother’s birthday 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾They went ALL OUT🙌🏽
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRE7cLud/?t=1
12 year old singing Tina Turner 👏🏾
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTREvjoEk/?t=1
Beyonce and Tina
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTREnoE9o/?t=1
Lizzo does a Tina Turner tribute 😔👏🏾
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTREnKyNV/?t=1
QueenLibra ♎️ (@queenlibra_305) tweeted at 6:19 PM on Wed, May 24, 2023:
One of the things I truly appreciated and respected about Tina Turner outside of her talent was how she learned to choose herself and go where she was appreciated in the end. A powerful lesson for Black women. ❤️🥹
(https://twitter.com/queenlibra_305/status/1661512297708126209?s=02)
Stabby Spice is stabby. 🌻 👀🐝💛 (@StabbyandSpicy) tweeted at 7:15 PM on Wed, May 24, 2023:
In 1993, my mom called me and said “Kathleen, Tina Turner is coming to Phoenix and your father won’t take me, and I need to see her, she’s only two years younger than I am. Will you go with me?”
The way I screamed “YES!”
Best I ever saw, before or since.
An absolute legend.
(https://twitter.com/StabbyandSpicy/status/1661526267588669441?s=02)
THEE Harmless Artist (@DunhillPage) tweeted at 7:25 PM on Wed, May 24, 2023:
This is a heartfelt eulogy -from the LGBTQ community with love. https://t.co/lfCSFI5Kbs
(https://twitter.com/DunhillPage/status/1661528966937624578?s=02)
Ayoka (@MysticxLipstick) tweeted at 7:57 PM on Wed, May 24, 2023:
Tina Turner was the first black woman I saw be fearless outside of the box of Christianity and get a divorce and thrive. I remember the fear I felt + released while processing that she found what was best for HER. RIP Legend. Ty for living your truth 💖https://t.co/XOZ0rE63Oj
(https://twitter.com/MysticxLipstick/status/1661536942658572290?s=02)
Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) tweeted at 6:55 PM on Wed, May 24, 2023:
Tina Turner was a spectacular light whose life was a testament to all those who believe in what can be, unburdened by what has been.
From Nutbush, TN to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, her strength, voice, and signature moves inspired millions. Tina Turner was simply the best.
(https://twitter.com/VP/status/1661521269815234561?s=02)
Beautiful beautiful soul. Ms Tina Turner!
My Facebook friend said she use to get her butt popped for NutBush City Limit. I hid in the room, turned the radio down low and danced to Proud Mary 😆
Beautiful post, Riky Rah 😍
🖤 Ima Keep Breonna Taylor AUIYM 🖤 (@cbr_OLU) tweeted at 4:18 PM on Wed, May 24, 2023:
Tina Turner is single-handedly responsible for every BlkWomn in my family being deep Rock & Roll lovers
The way River Deep, Mountain High played on 100 every Saturday morn
This performance—>Time Capsule
Literally an HISTORIC Performance
https://t.co/5bBKnLaHzS
(https://twitter.com/cbr_OLU/status/1661481804673712131?s=02)
Owning My Space✨ (@JuneSummer1) tweeted at 2:45 PM on Wed, May 24, 2023:
It’s amazing how Tina Turner was a soul icon in my parent’s generation, then after age 40, completely reinventing herself to become the Queen of Rock n Roll in mine.
https://t.co/VCGLlDDwlS
(https://twitter.com/JuneSummer1/status/1661458408527237120?s=02)
Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) tweeted at 4:18 PM on Wed, May 24, 2023:
The words legendary, iconic, diva, and superstar are often overused and yet Tina Turner embodies them all and so many more – an incredible performer, musician and trailblazer. To me, she will always be a survivor and an inspiration to women everywhere. Her music will continue to… https://t.co/ur7djmFHnW
(https://twitter.com/MariahCarey/status/1661481830162345994?s=02)
Dionne Warwick (@dionnewarwick) tweeted at 6:41 PM on Wed, May 24, 2023:
Another longtime friend has made her transition. Not only will I miss that eternal ball of energy named Tina Turner but the entire world will also find this void in their lives. My condolences to her husband and other members of her family. Rest in Peace my friend! https://t.co/RsGNfzD02C
(https://twitter.com/dionnewarwick/status/1661517817441824768?s=02)
Will Smith Slapped Me (@AshleyShyMiller) tweeted at 2:34 PM on Wed, May 24, 2023:
All our legends are leaving us or have left us and I’m so sick about that. Michael Jackson gone. Prince gone. Whitney gone. Aretha gone. Teena and Tina gone. I know it’s life and I didn’t know them, personally, but that shit hurts.
(https://twitter.com/AshleyShyMiller/status/1661455633290260480?s=02)
Tom Jones (@RealSirTomJones) tweeted at 3:11 PM on Wed, May 24, 2023:
Tina, an incredible woman, a genuine singer, a one of a kind talent, I am honoured to have known her. RIP Tina https://t.co/70iceQjLxm
(https://twitter.com/RealSirTomJones/status/1661464835987501061?s=02)
Gloria Gaynor (@gloriagaynor) tweeted at 2:07 PM on Wed, May 24, 2023:
I am so, so very sad to hear of the passing of @TinaTurner, the iconic legend who paved the way for so many women in rock music, black and white. She did with great dignity & success what very few would even have dared to do in her time and in that genre of music 🕊 #TinaTurner https://t.co/HrcJj7PltI
(https://twitter.com/gloriagaynor/status/1661448863461396488?s=02)
Forest Whitaker (@ForestWhitaker) tweeted at 2:40 PM on Wed, May 24, 2023:
Tina Turner was an icon, whom we loved for her voice, her dancing, and her spirit. As we honor her, let’s also reflect on her resilience, and think about all the greatness that can follow our darkest days. Thank you for sharing your gifts with us, Tina. You’re simply the best. https://t.co/CZyaItp4Cb
(https://twitter.com/ForestWhitaker/status/1661457237905141760?s=02)
Aaron Neville (@aaronneville) tweeted at 2:32 PM on Wed, May 24, 2023:
Sad to hear about the great Tina Turner passing today. Me and my brothers, the mighty Neville Brothers toured Europe with Tina in 1990. She showed us much love and respect. I know she has a place in the heavenly band. Much love and respect from the Neville family. RIP ❤️ https://t.co/fYuR2BZE2N
(https://twitter.com/aaronneville/status/1661455081127006220?s=02)
This one is my favorite, Break Every Rule.
RIP.
RIP 🙏🏽😢😞