Vale Tina Turner
Image: Tina Turner. Image: Denize Alain : Sygma via Getty Image
Tributes on social media are being posted from around the globe in the wake of the death of pop/rock/soul legend Tina Turner. Turner died at her home in Kusnacht, Switzerland at age 83 after battling illness that began with a diagnosis of intestinal cancer in 2016. She is survived by her husband and partner of 37 years, Erwin Bach, and two children, Ike Turner Jr. and Michael Turner.
Born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939, in Nutbush, Tennessee, Turner’s musical career began when she teamed up with the formidable Ike Turner while she was still in her teens. The powerhouse duo rocked the charts during the 1960s and ’70s until Ike’s violence ended their marriage and partnership. Turner’s career paused for several years until she made one of the greatest comebacks of all time in 1984 with her Private Dancer album.
Turner’s life was fraught with extreme hardship and sadness from the very start. She was born into poverty to parents who openly expressed resentment about her existence. Tossed from parent to grandparent and back again, Turner experience tragedy several times in her teens, first with the death of her half sister and cousins in a car crash, then the death of her grandmother.
Turner’s son, Craig, who biologically belonged to former band member, Raymond Hill but was adopted by Ike Turner, died by suicide in 2018. Her other biological son, Ronnie, whom she had with Ike, died from colon cancer in 2022. Sons, Ike Jr and Michael were Ike Turner’s from a previous relationship whom Tina Turner adopted.
Though Turner was a prominent figure in the 1960s and ‘70s and much of the iconography derives from her appearance and performances from this era, her true success came after she had turned 40. In a business that favours youth, whiteness, and masculinity, Turner surged forth to become one of the most successful female artists of all time.
In 2018, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical premiered in London and immediately became a smash hit. The show is a biography of Turner’s life and career and features hits from the early days through to her Private Dancer era.
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical is currently being performed in Sydney with Ruva Ngwenya in the lead role. The team expressed their sentiments at Turner’s passing on their Facebook page.
Vale, Tina Turner.
