Legendary rock’n’roll singer Tina Turner dies aged 83
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New York: Rock’n’roll star Tina Turner whose songs electrified generations died at the age of 83, after pronged illness.
The singer, ailing from ill health after diagnosed with intestinal cancer in 2016, breathed her last in her home in Kusnacht near Zurich, Switzerland.
Her publicist Bernard Doherty further said that with her death ‘the world loses a music legend and a role model.’
Turner’s long career was a defining period for women’s presence in music which inspired even male artists including Mick Jagger who openly claimed taking inspiration from her ‘high-kicking energetic’ live shows, according to The Guardian.
Tina Turner is the stage name of Anna Mae Bullock who was born on 26 November 1939 and raised in Nutbush, Tennessee.
She began singing in her home town’s church choir, before being discovered by musician Ike Turner and joined his band in St Louis.
Ike would not initially hire her until he heard sing legendary singer BB King’s You Know I Love You at a Kings of Rhythm performance.
Ike gave her the name Tina Turner and trademarked it in order to ensure that the name would be with him in case she left him.
Tina spent two decades with Ike Turner despite he was an abusive husband who at one point hit her with shoe stretcher when she tried to leave the group.
Alongside she discovered that she was going to be Ike’s moneymaker who wanted to ‘control’ her ‘economically and psychologically’ to stop her leaving him.
However, the duo was making huge impact in the 1960s and early 70s becoming big names in rock music, according to the report.
They became Grammy-winning pair in the 1970s alongside hitting top charts with their songs.
Her last single with the group was Baby and Tina Turner could not continue with Ike anymore because he was ‘consistently violent and unfaithful’.
In 1980s, Tina came out of the band and launched her solo career which initially would not take off until her defining in moment came with the album Private Dancer.
Her last stage performance was in 2008 with singer Beyoncé at the Grammy awards, which marked her 50 years of her career. However, Tina announced her retirement in 2000.