Tina Turner — the iconic and adored singer known as “The Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll” — has died … TMZ has confirmed.
A statement from Tina’s reps reads, “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner. With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow. 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.”
Tina was born in Tennessee as Anna Mae Bullock and raised in the small town of Nutbush, but later moved to St. Louis … where she frequented the nightclubs and first encountered Ike Turner in the late ’50s.
After hearing her sing, Ike made her a featured vocalist in his band, and in 1960 she was introduced to the world as Tina Turner as the duo put out their hit, “A Fool in Love.”
The 2 would go on to get married in 1962 and become a massively successful music act in the ’60s and ’70s with hit songs like “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine,” “River Deep – Mountain High,” “Nutbush City Limits” and the legendary, Grammy-winning “Proud Mary.”
However, the duo wouldn’t last, and after disbanding in 1976 they divorced in 1978. Tina would reveal years later in her autobiography that she was a victim of domestic abuse.
Turner then launched one of the greatest music comebacks ever as a solo artist in the ’80s, by first releasing the hit “Let’s Stay Together” followed by the massive album “Private Dancer” … which included tracks like “What’s Love Got to Do” and “I Can’t Stand The Rain.”
Tina won 8 Grammy Awards over the course of her career, including Record of the Year for “What’s Love Got to Do with It.”
It was back in 2019 when a Broadway Musical honoring her life debuted with Tina in attendance … of course, her fans went wild as she left the venue with a gigantic smile on her face.
Tina Turner’s Illnesses
Turner had been public about several health issues she faced in recent years, including a stroke, intestinal cancer, high blood pressure and kidney failure, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder from her relationship with Ike Turner.
Turner suffered a stroke in October 2013, three months after her second marriage to Erwin Bach, she wrote in her memoir. After her stroke, Turner’s doctor expressed concern that her high blood pressure was also hurting her kidneys. Shortly after, she found out that they only had 35% function. They eventually dropped to 5%, and she underwent dialysis in an effort to get healthy enough to receive a kidney transplant.
Her publicist’s statement said her cause of death was after a “long illness”, with Turner suffering a number of health issues in recent years, including cancer, a stroke and kidney failure.
