Music icon Tina Turner has died, aged 83
Legendary singer-songwriter Tina Turner has died, aged 83, her family confirmed this morning.
Turner died in her home near Zurich, Switzerland after a long illness. She had been unwell in recent years, having been diagnosed with intestinal cancer in 2016 and recovering from a kidney transplant in 2017.
A statement on Turner’s social media pages read: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner. With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow.”
Tina Turner rose to fame in the 1960s alongside her then-husband Ike Turner.
She found her biggest success in the 1980s as a solo artist with her singles and albums earning success across the charts, from pop to R&B to the club charts.
Turner released nine solo studio albums in total, winning 12 Grammy awards, and was one of the world’s biggest-selling female artists of all time.
Tina Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee, and grew up singing in her local church choir.
She moved to St. Louis, Missouri, to live with her great aunt when her parents separated, and began working as a nurse’s aide in St. Louis after graduating from high school, always singing with her church on weekends off.
In St Louis, she met Ike Turner and began performing with him under the moniker ‘Little Ann’, earning success in 1960 with the song A Fool in Love. She adopted the stage name Tina Turner that same year – a name Ike had reportedly trademarked so that another singer could perform under it.
Soon, the couple married and established the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, finding mainstream success through chart-topping singles and plenty of touring. In 1971, they released their most successful album, Workin’ Together, which incorporated more rock songs than their previous works.
While her performances were confident and robust, behind the scenes of Ike and Tina’s marriage told a different story. He regularly beat her and would verbally abuse her constantly. Soon enough, in 1976, Tina left the marriage to forge a life and career of her own.
Turner found her greatest success as a solo artist with hits including Private Dancer, Let’s Stay Together, What’s Love Got To Do With It, Simply The Best and the James Bond theme song Golden Eye.
Initially born into a humble, share-cropping family in the US south, Turner’s net worth when she died was over $250 million. In 2013, Turner renounced her US citizenship to become a Swiss citizen.
Turner is survived by her second husband, German music executive Erwin Bach, and two of Ike Turner’s sons, Ike Turner Jr and Michael Turner, whom she adopted. Her first child, Craig Raymond Turner, died in July 2018 aged 59; and her other son Ronnie died at the age of 62.
A jukebox musical about Turner’s life was first produced and performed in April 2018. A version of the musical is currently touring Australia.
Antonino Tati
CREAM MAGAZINE 
One Response to “Music icon Tina Turner has died, aged 83”
A sad passing. So many of the subtle icons I appreciated as I grew up are checking-out. Thank you for the brief bio.
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