The incomparable Tina Turner has crossed the river
30th May 2023 · 0 Comments
By C.C. Campbell-Rock
Contributing Writer
The world is mourning the loss of Tina Turner, the legendary Queen of Rock & Roll and Goddess of Soul. According to a Daily Mail report, Turner, 83, died May 24, 2023, of natural causes, at her $76 million estate in Küsnacht, near Zurich, Switzerland.
Turner was an entertainer, singer, dancer, actor, wife and mother. She leaves behind her husband Erwin Bach, a former music executive, whom she married in 2013 after 27 years together, and two adopted sons, Ike Turner Jr. and Michael Turner (from Ike’s marriage to Lorraine Turner). Tina Turner was preceded in death by two biological sons, Craig and Ronnie.
Annie Mae Bullock was born in Nutbush, Tennessee, in 1939. In 1957, at age 18, she became the lead vocalist for the Kings of Rhythm, Ike Turner’s band. He dubbed her Tina, and in 1960, their duet “A Fool in Love” hit 27 on the Billboard charts. A string of hits followed, including “Proud Mary,” “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine,” “River Deep – Mountain High,” and “Nutbush City Limits,” before their much-publicized 1976 divorce. Her career reached heights that few, if any, reach. After her break up with Ike Turner, her husband of 16 years, she reinvented herself, turning from a rhythm and blues artist to a rock star and pop music icon at age 44. She even recorded a solo country music album.
Turner was the stars’ star. Her admirers and friends included Oprah, Beyoncé, Mike Jagger, who she taught to dance, Cher, Angela Bassett, who played her in the biopic, “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” David Bowie, whom she credits with saving her career, and everyone else who encountered her.
“She once shared with me that when her time came to leave this earth, she would not be afraid but excited and curious,” Oprah Winfrey said. I am a better woman, a better human because her life touched mine. She was indeed simply the best.”
During a telephone interview with MSNBC’s Ari Melber that day, Cher, a long-time friend, said that while Tina’s passing has saddened many, the star “was ready” to go. She was tired, Cher said, of her struggle with kidney disease. “She had a dialysis machine in her home.” The two sang ‘Shame, Shame, Shame’ on ‘The Cher Show’ broadcast on April 27, 1975.
The Daily Mail published an article in 2018 written by Turner. She explained that she considered assisted suicide when her kidneys failed until her husband, Erwin Bach, donated one of his kidneys to her. The article also features photos of her wedding and health challenges.
“I’m so saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend Tina Turner,” Mick Jagger posted on his Instagram with photos of 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 and Jagger performed together at the 1985 Live Aid Concert, and she appeared as a soloist for the Rolling Stones American Tour in 1981. The Rolling Stones’ music is heavily influenced by American R&B artists. 1966 Ike & Tina Turner were invited to open for The Stones’ 1966 U.K. tour.
In her 2018 memoir “My Love Story,” the Queen of Rock talks about her six-decade career, superstardom, and physical and mental abuse from her husband, Ike. She also admits to contemplating suicide to escape his brutality, People magazine reports.
Aside from selling more than 150 million records worldwide, earning 11 Grammys, being a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee twice, the subject of a film and London stage play, “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,” an HBO documentary, Kennedy Center’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and acting in “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome” and “The Last Action Hero,” the most remarkable feat accomplished by Turner was rising from the ashes like the mythical phoenix after suffering years of domestic abuse.
In 1984 when Turner released her multi-platinum solo album “Private Dancer,” her single “What’s Love Got to Do With It” topped the charts and won three Grammys. Turner’s solo discography includes 10 studio albums, two live albums, two soundtracks, and five compilations. In 2018, she received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
In November 2021, Turner was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for a second time. This time as a solo artist.
April 2023 marked the fifth anniversary of “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,” which is booked through spring 2024 at the Aldwych Theatre in London. Onstage in London at the world premiere of “Tina” in 2018, the legend said, “It is possible to turn poison into medicine.”
On April 9, Turner told The Guardian how she hoped the world would remember her – and how she did not fear death.
“How would you like to be remembered?” The Guardian asked. “As the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll. As a woman who showed other women that it is OK to strive for success on their own terms,” she replied. The Guardian reviewed 10 of her songs and posted, “Simply The Best: Tina Turner, a Life in Pictures.”
Tina Turner may be gone, but her legacy lives on. She leaves behind a treasure trove of videos of her electrifying, frenetic performances, but her greatest gift to the world is a portrait of a woman, a survivor, who, against all odds, went out on her own and took the world by storm. She indeed turned poison into medicine. It’s a lesson everyone should take to heart.
Beyoncé’s stage performances are reminiscent of Turner’s. Like her, Beyoncé struts her sensuality in form-fitting and revealing costumes, and dances with wild abandonment and fearlessly speaks her mind through her music.
Beyoncé offered this tribute to the departed star: “My beloved queen, I love you endlessly,” Beyoncé wrote on her website. “I’m so grateful for your inspiration, and all the ways you have paved the way.
“You are strength and resilience,” she continued. “You are the epitome of power and passion. We are all so fortunate to have witnessed your kindness and beautiful spirit that will forever remain. Thank you for all you have done.”
This article originally published in the May 29, 2023 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
