Tina Turner, one of the greatest vocalists and the ‘Queen of Rock’n Roll’ – has died aged 83, her spokesperson has confirmed.
“Tina Turner, the has died peacefully today at the age of 83 after a long illness in her home in Kusnacht near Zurich, Switzerland,” Turner’s representative confirmed. “With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model.”
The Grammy Award-winning star was diagnosed with intestinal cancer in 2016 and had to undergo a kidney transplant in 2017. Since then, she has battled ill health.
Tina Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939, in Nutbush, Tennessee. Her grandmother raised her after her parents initially split up, but after her grandmother died, she relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, to be with her mother. Turner would later meet musician Ike Turner in 1956, and they began performing together as a duo. The pair recorded its debut under the name with the Ike and Tina Turner single, “A Fool in Love,” in July 1960. The single was an instant smash and broke the US Top 30. The following year, they released another hit single, “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine.” The single earned them their first Grammy nomination for Best Rock and Roll Performance.
Three years later, the duo opened for the Rolling Stones and secured even more fans. In 1971, they released the album Workin’ Together, which included the track “Proud Mary.” She created another top-five hit, but this track earned Turner her first Grammy.
The Tennessee native would also enjoy a successful movie career, although music remained her true love.
Turner’s tumultuous personal life has been well documented. Still, in an interview with the Harvard Business Review, she touched on the importance of maintaining privacy even as a global superstar.
“I’m Anna Mae, and I’m also Tina. They’re two sides of my personality, two facets of my life. Anna Mae is the homebody side and loves peace and quiet and privacy, and Tina is the artistic side and loves all kinds of artistic expression. I’m sure aspects of Anna have merged with Tina and vice versa,” she explained.
Ike and Tina Turner were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, with the latter being inducted as a solo artist in 2021. Having sold more than 180 million albums worldwide throughout her career and 12 Grammys under her belt, Turner is undoubtedly one of the most influential musical artists of the 20th century.
