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R.I.P. Tina Turner, legendary singer, actress and inspirational figure
The trailblazing singer and dancer, dubbed "The Queen of Rock and Roll," was 83.
Tina Turner, hailed as the Queen of Rock and Roll and one of the most popular singers of all time, has passed away.
The Grammy award-winning artist was known for various hits in the '60s, early '70s and '80s, including "Proud Mary" and "What's Love Got to Do With It." Turner was also in a group with her ex-husband, Ike Turner, and later became a feminist icon for her willingness to speak out about the domestic abuse she suffered.
She was born Anna Mae Bullock in Brownsville, Tennessee. At 16, she moved to St. Louis and, after graduating, worked as a nurse's aide. After frequently visiting nightclubs in the city, she saw Ike Turner and his band perform and eventually became a featured vocalist in the band. In 1960, Turner wrote "A Fool In Love" for singer Art Lassiter, but he failed to appear at the recording session she paid for, and Turner ended up keeping the song for herself.
The singer and dancer was introduced to the world with "A Fool In Love," but not as Anna Mae Bullock. She was Tina Turner, one half of the duo Ike and Tina. The single reached number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100, and more classics came from the new group, creating buzz around the industry, which began her success.
Turner would eventually go solo in 1976 after dealing with physical, mental and verbal abuse from her then-partner. Her mainstream success, courage, and rise to stardom as a solo act inspired women worldwide. In 1984, she released the multi-platinum album Private Dancer and started the spiky hair and short skirt trend. She embraced her legs, even getting insurance on them because they were a part of her brand. Turner moved to Chateau Algonquin in Kusnacht on the shore of Lake Zurich in 1994 and became a citizen of Switzerland in 2013.
For decades, Turner spoke her truth about how imperative it was for her to look within herself and start a new life away from the unhealthy situation she found herself in. This inspired women all over the world to not be ashamed to tell their stories.
"For a long time, I felt like I was stuck with no way out of the unhealthy situation I was in," she told Harvard Business Review in 2021. "But then I had a series of encounters with different people who encouraged me... And once I could see myself clearly, I began to change, opening the way to confidence and courage. It took a few years, but finally, I was able to stand up for myself and start anew."
The singer was 83.
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59 Comments
We listened to your story, the big wheel did keep on turning and your spirit kept on burning bright out of the ruins, out of the wreckage of abuse. Even if you did worry ‘bout the way the things might've been, you kept on rolling while living under fear.
You did get to see the good side of a city after hitching a ride on a riverboat Queen. Proud Mary was indeed proud as you kept rolling …on the river and up the charts.
He was no Goldeneye but you brought him to his knees and you stayed Tina for yourself and for the world. Your time came, no longer left behind after all the tears cried. So many of us are children of the last generation that saw you emerge as a survivor…we are the ones left behind who saw you find a life beyond a personal Thunderdome. You left your mark and your story will always shine like a light — it did not end in the dark. You gave it all. There was something better out there, love and compassion finally.
Your Dancer comeback was simply the best, better than all the rest. It wasn’t any old music and you made the million dollars you richly deserved. Your legs had many pulses reacting, but the love for you was never a second hand emotion. You’re stuck on our hearts, even as they’re broken. But thank you for making Mary and all of us proud for the example of how to keep rolling. And you were part of the World who lended a hand to make a brighter day, who asked us to start giving.
With you have taken this new direction to the mountain most high in the clouds and these words you sang “Lord, it gets sweeter, sweeter, sweeter, and heaven knows,” now you know, too. You don’t have to roll any more, you’ve earned a rest. But maybe a few more dances among the stars, please…we’ll look for new ones burning bright.
But it DOES have a good beat that's easy to dance to.
What a performer!!! Why “River Deep Mountain High” did not go to Number One is beyond me.
Link here, nowhere does Tina Turner show up in the Top 10!
https://iloveclassicrock.com/top-10-queens-rock
that list could go on for another 10 female vocals - don't really think Janis was rock and Franklin was rock (not cutting them down - at all) - if now at this minute it would be Pat Benatar because the music and what the band made fit her vocals so very good - then there was Chrissie Hynde ; just depends on what you said "soup de-jure"
Never was into her music enough to buy it but I did like a lot of the songs she did.
She seemed to me to be the kind of person one could sit, have a beer or ice tea with, and just chat. She definitely was an interesting lady.
