Tina Turner, 'Queen of Rock n Roll', dies aged 83


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Tina Turner, the “Queen of Rock 'n' Roll”, has died aged 83, her representative said on Wednesday.

The singer died peacefully after a long illness in her home near Zurich, Switzerland, the representative said in a statement.

Turner began her career in the early 1950s and rose to stardom as part of a duo with her husband Ike Turner, from whom she separated in 1976.

After the end of their marriage, Turner revealed the abuse she endured at the hands of her husband. She said she suffered bruised eyes, a broken jaw and other injuries.

She released her first solo album in 1974 and was best known for hits such as What's Love Got To Do With It, Proud Mary, The Best, Private Dancer and others.

Rolling Stone magazine named her as one of the 100 greatest singers of all time and one of the 100 greatest artists of all time.

  • A woman lights candles at the gate of the house of singer Tina Turner in Kuesnacht, Switzerland, following news of her death. EPA
    A woman lights candles at the gate of the house of singer Tina Turner in Kuesnacht, Switzerland, following news of her death. EPA
  • A fan holds one of Turner's records next to her Hollywood Walk of Fame Star in Los Angeles, California. EPA
    A fan holds one of Turner's records next to her Hollywood Walk of Fame Star in Los Angeles, California. EPA
  • Flowers lie across Turner's Hollywood Walk of Fame Star. EPA
    Flowers lie across Turner's Hollywood Walk of Fame Star. EPA
  • Turner poses with her plaque and a bouquet of roses near her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. AP
    Turner poses with her plaque and a bouquet of roses near her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. AP
  • Turner and Elton John perform a duet during the VH1 Fashion and Music Awards in 1995 in New York. AP
    Turner and Elton John perform a duet during the VH1 Fashion and Music Awards in 1995 in New York. AP
  • Turner, right, with Oprah Winfrey at a New York theatre in 2019. AP
    Turner, right, with Oprah Winfrey at a New York theatre in 2019. AP
  • Turner and her band perform at the Credit Suisse Sports Awards in Zurich, Switzerland, 2011. EPA
    Turner and her band perform at the Credit Suisse Sports Awards in Zurich, Switzerland, 2011. EPA
  • Turner performs during a concert at the Hallenstadion venue in Zurich. EPA
    Turner performs during a concert at the Hallenstadion venue in Zurich. EPA
  • Turner performs during the TV show Champs-Elysees on Channel Antenne 2 in 1989. AFP
    Turner performs during the TV show Champs-Elysees on Channel Antenne 2 in 1989. AFP
  • Turner performs with Beyonce at the 50th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in 2008. AFP
    Turner performs with Beyonce at the 50th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in 2008. AFP
  • Turner at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in 1985. AP
    Turner at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in 1985. AP
  • Turner and Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger perform at the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia in 1995. AP
    Turner and Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger perform at the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia in 1995. AP
  • Turner performs at The Hague, Netherlands, in 1982. AFP
    Turner performs at The Hague, Netherlands, in 1982. AFP
  • Turner onstage during Tina - The Tina Turner Musical opening night at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York City in 2019. AFP
    Turner onstage during Tina - The Tina Turner Musical opening night at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York City in 2019. AFP
  • Turner receives the Golden Record Award from Pathe Marconi chairman Guy Deluz, left, in 1986, in Paris. AFP
    Turner receives the Golden Record Award from Pathe Marconi chairman Guy Deluz, left, in 1986, in Paris. AFP
  • Turner holds up her Grammy Award in 1985 in Los Angeles. AP
    Turner holds up her Grammy Award in 1985 in Los Angeles. AP
  • From right, President George Bush, first lady Laura Bush and Turner at the 2005 Kennedy Centre Honours Gala in Washington. AP
    From right, President George Bush, first lady Laura Bush and Turner at the 2005 Kennedy Centre Honours Gala in Washington. AP
  • Turner performs in Groningen, Netherlands, in 2000. AFP
    Turner performs in Groningen, Netherlands, in 2000. AFP
  • Turner performs at the Palais Omnisports in Paris in 1987. AFP
    Turner performs at the Palais Omnisports in Paris in 1987. AFP
  • Turner and Lionel Richie pose with a total of five awards between them at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in 1985. AP
    Turner and Lionel Richie pose with a total of five awards between them at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in 1985. AP
  • Turner performs her hit song 'What's Love Got to Do With It' in Los Angeles in 1984. AP
    Turner performs her hit song 'What's Love Got to Do With It' in Los Angeles in 1984. AP
  • Turner is silhouetted during her concert at the O2 Arena in London in 2009. Reuters
    Turner is silhouetted during her concert at the O2 Arena in London in 2009. Reuters
  • Turner performs with fellow singer Cher during the VH1 television network's broadcast concert Diva's Live 99 at New York's Beacon Theatre in 1999. Reuters
    Turner performs with fellow singer Cher during the VH1 television network's broadcast concert Diva's Live 99 at New York's Beacon Theatre in 1999. Reuters
  • Turner meets Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in 1989 at the London Palladium. PA
    Turner meets Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in 1989 at the London Palladium. PA
  • Turner with her then-husband and singing partner, Ike Turner, in 1971. PA
    Turner with her then-husband and singing partner, Ike Turner, in 1971. PA
  • Turner with chat show host Terry Wogan, centre, and Elton John at the BBC TV centre in Shepherds Bush, London. PA
    Turner with chat show host Terry Wogan, centre, and Elton John at the BBC TV centre in Shepherds Bush, London. PA

“Tina was a unique and remarkable force of nature with her strength, incredible energy and immense talent," Roger Davies, her manager of 30 years, said in a statement.

"From the first day I met her in 1980, she believed in herself completely when few others did at that time.

"It was a privilege and an honour to have been a close friend as well as her manager for more than 30 years. I will miss her deeply.”

In the video for her chart-topping song What's Love Got to Do with It, in which she called love a “second-hand emotion”, Turner epitomised 1980s style as she strutted through New York City streets with her spiky blond hair, wearing a cropped jean jacket, mini skirt and stiletto heels.

With her taste for musical experimentation and bluntly worded ballads, Turner gelled perfectly with a 1980s pop landscape in which music fans valued electronically produced sounds and scorned hippie-era idealism.

Turner won six of her eight Grammy Awards in the 1980s, a decade in which she also landed a dozen songs on the Top 40, including Typical Male, The Best, Private Dancer and Better Be Good to Me.

Her 1988 show in Rio de Janeiro drew 180,000 people and remains one of the largest concert audiences for any single performer.

In 2008, she embarked on her Tina! - 50th Anniversary Tour, which grossed about $130 million.

More recently, she renounced her US citizenship and moved to Switzerland, while her life became the basis for a film, a Broadway musical and an HBO documentary in 2021 that she called her public farewell.

"With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow," the caption read on posts on the official Instagram and Facebook accounts for Turner.

"Today we say goodbye to a dear friend who leaves us all her greatest work: her music.

"All our heartfelt compassion goes out to her family. Tina, we will miss you dearly."

Agencies contributed to this report

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Updated: May 25, 2023, 1:03 AM