Tina Turner performing at Shoreline Amphitheater on May 23, 1997 in Mountain View, California.
Tim Mosenfelder Archive Photos | Getty Images
Singer Tina Turner has died at the age of 83 after a long illness, according to a statement published on her official Facebook page on Wednesday.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner. With her music and boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow,” the statement said.
“Today we say goodbye to a dear friend who is leaving us her greatest work: her music. Our deepest sympathy goes out to her family. Tina, we will miss you very much.”
Widely considered the queen of rock ‘n’ roll, Turner has spanned more than 60 years, including the legendary songs “Proud Mary” and “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” Turner is known for her high-energy performances, signature sequins, and tousled hair. She has won 12 Grammy Awards and has sold more than 100 million records worldwide.
In recent years, Turner has suffered from health problems. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016 and had a kidney transplant in 2017.
In a separate statement to Sky News, a spokeswoman said Turner died “peacefully” at her home in Küsnacht, near Zurich, Switzerland.
“With her, the world loses a music legend and role model,” said the spokesman.
Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock in Brownsville, Tennessee. In the last decade she has lived in Switzerland largely away from the public limelight.
Tuner began her teenage career in the late 1950s as a backing vocalist for musician Ike Turner’s blues band Kings of Rhythm. She soon became the main attraction of the group. In 1962 she married Ike and began performing with him as a duo.
However, both the marriage and the ensemble fell apart in the years that followed, as Tina claimed that Ike had been abusive. She later released acclaimed solo albums such as 1984’s Private Dancer.
In 2021, Tuner sold their music rights to German music company BMG. The deal included her previous recordings of ten studio albums as well as the rights to her name, likeness and likeness. She remained signed to the Warner Music record label.
That same year, Turner was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for the second time. In 1991, she was inducted into the throne along with her ex-husband Ike Turner, who died in 2007.
At the 2021 induction ceremony, actress Angela Bassett, who played Turner in a 1993 biographical film, praised the singer in a speech and her songs were performed by the likes of Keith Urban, HER and Christina Aguilera.
After the announcement of Turner’s death, there were numerous tributes to the late singer.
“I am so saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend Tina Turner,” Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger tweeted. “She really was an enormously talented artist and singer. She was inspirational, warm, funny and generous. She helped me so much growing up and I will never forget her.”
