Tina Turner’s Son Ronnie Dead At 62: Report
The musical icon’s youngest son reportedly passed away after a 911 call was made to treat him as having trouble breathing.
Update (12/13/22 11:25 a.m. EST): Ronnie Turner’s cause of death was revealed to be complications from colon cancer. He was also revealed to have suffered from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s office, via Page Six.
Original: Ronnie Turner has reportedly died at 62 years old. The actor, whose parents were Tina, 83, and Ike Turner, passed away after paramedics were called to his San Fernando Valley home on Thursday, December 8, according to TMZ. While it’s not clear what medical condition he was suffering from, the person who made the call reportedly said that he was having trouble breathing outside of their home and then later stopped breathing. He was reported dead on the scene, as bystanders attempted to perform CPR. He’s survived by his wife, two half-brothers, and mother.
Ronnie was Tina’s younger son after she gave birth to his older brother Craig, who died by suicide in 2018 at 59. Tina had also adopted two of Ike’s children from other relationships (Ike Jr. and Michael), but they were both older than Ronnie. Ronnie’s health conditions were not clear, but he had reportedly battled cancer in the past. Ronnie’s father died in December 2007 at 76 years old.
Ike Jr. revealed that he had some contact with his half-brother in a 2018 interview with DailyMail, where he also mentioned that he was married to a French singer. “I talk to Ronnie periodically – he’s in great health and married to singer Afida Turner,” he told the outlet.
The music icon’s son had followed in her footsteps and pursued his own career in music and dabbled in acting. Most notably, he made a cameo as The Revue in the 1993 biopic about his mom What’s Love Got To Do With It, which starred Angela Bassett as the “Queen of Rock and Roll” and Laurence Fishburne playing her ex-husband, per IMDb. Other than the movie, it appears that Ronnie had mostly stayed out of the spotlight. He did make a rare public appearance in 2007 at his father’s funeral.
Ronnie was married to Afida from 2007 until his passing. The singer, 45, posted a series of photos and wrote a tribute to her late husband on her Instagram following his death. “My God, Ronnie Turner, a true angel, huge soul, highly spiritual, my husband, my best friend, my baby,” she wrote. “This is a tragedy. [You’re] with your brother Craig and your father Ike… Rest in paradise.”