Tina Turner passed away on May 24, 2023, at the age of 83. A rep for the “Queen of Rock ‘N Roll” said she died peacefully after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland. Further information about Turner’s passing came on May 25, when her rep confirmed to Daily Mail that she died from “natural causes.”
In her later years, Tina Turner battled health issues. According to The New York Times, she had a stroke and was known to be dealing with kidney disease and other illnesses.
Tina – born Anna Mae Bullock on Nov. 26, 1939 – began her career in the late 1950s when she began singing with Ike Turner and his band The Kings of Rhythm. Tina’s pure, undeniable charisma would soon make her the star of the show, and the ensemble would soon be renamed the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, which included the Kings of Rhythm and a girl group, The Ikettes. Anna Mae would soon be renamed Tina, and she would seal the name with the 1960 duet, “A Fool In Love.” Ike and Tina would continue to record and release songs, including a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival‘s “Proud Mary.”
In 1976, the Revue broke up when Tina left Ike (not before they would have a son together. She would also adopt two of his other children.) Her relationship, detailed in memoirs and biographies, was rife with domestic abuse. After separating herself from Ike, she began to work on her solo career. She experienced a career resurgence in the 1980s with the release of her fifth solo album, Private Dancer. Its second single, “What’s Love Got TO Do With It,” spent three weeks at No. 1 in the US. It won the Record and Song of the Year Grammy and the Best Female Pop Vocal award. Private Dancer spent 11 weeks at No. 3, behind Prince‘s Purple Rain and Bruce Springsteen‘s Born In The U.S.A.
Tributes soon followed Tina’s death. ” “I am so, so very sad to hear of the passing of TinaTurner, the iconic legend who paved the way for so many women in rock music, black and white,” wrote Gloria Gaynor. “She did with great dignity & success what very few would even have dared to do in her time and in that genre of music.” “Heaven has gained an angel,” added Ciara. “Rest in peace to one of my favorite artists of all time,” wrote Magic Johnson.
“Tina Turner was an icon, a music icon who had many stages, many amazing moments in her career,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said following Turner’s death, per CNN. “Very sad to hear the news. I was a huge fan of Tina Turner. As you can see from my reaction, that is the first I’m hearing of it. And it is a massive loss, massive loss to the communities that loved her, certainly to the music industry.”