Tina Turner’s astounding legacy as the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll will continue to be remembered by millions of fans around the world and the generations to come.
After news of her death, at 83, on Wednesday following a long illness, some of the superstar’s past interviews are resurfacing across social media, including her iconic 1986 Rolling Stone interview.
While making history as the first woman to appear of the magazine’s cover, the mom-of-four, who rose to fame in the early 1960s alongside her ex-partner Ike Turner, said she ‘not surprised’ by how her life had turned out.
‘I won’t stop until I get that respect. I may not ever get it completely, because my life has been too hard so far,’ she said. ‘But I’ve gotten a taste of what that respect is probably like, and I like it.’
The Proud Mary hitmaker went on to say that she is ‘didn’t act’ her life’ but truly ‘lived it.’
Music icon: Tina Turner’s astounding legacy as the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll will continued to be remembered by millions of fans around the world and the generations to come (seen in 1979a)
Star power: After news of her death, at 83, on Wednesday following a long illness, some of the superstar’s past interviews are resurfacing across social media, including her iconic 1986 Rolling Stone interview
‘I am Tina Turner. I am raunchy. But I know I’m a lady and that deep inside of me there’s a craving for class. I know I’m accepted, but what I always wanted was the principal’s daughters’ world,’ she said her of dreams.
When asked if she thought she is beautiful, Turner answered: ‘I don’t have a great figure, but I know how to dress my body. My legs are nice, and I know the right shoes to wear to make my legs look pretty. I know how to make myself look good, but I’m not a pretty woman.’
The eight-time Grammy winner said her role models growing up were presidents’ wives, like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Still, she acknowledged if she had come from a more privileged background that she wouldn’t be able to ‘sing with the emotions’ that she did.
‘You sing with those emotions because you’ve had pain in your heart. The bloodline of my family didn’t come from that kind of royalty,’ she told the publication.
Turner also stated that she was ‘self-made’ and reflected on being abandoned by both her parents by the age of 13.
In her final interview, just six weeks ago, the legendary singer, who died at her home in Küsnach near Zurich, Switzerland, said she wanted to be remembered as ‘the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.’
On April 9, in what are believed to be her final public remarks, she also told The Guardian that she did not fear death.
Self-made: While making history as the first woman to appear of the magazine’s cover, the mom-of-four, who rose to fame in the early 1960s alongside her ex-partner Ike Turner, said she ‘not surprised’ by how her life had turned out; seen in 1979
‘I won’t stop until I get that respect. I may not ever get it completely, because my life has been too hard so far,’ she said. ‘But I’ve gotten a taste of what that respect is probably like, and I like it’ (pictured in 1996)
Additionally, she hopes other women view her as ‘a woman who showed other women that it is OK to strive for success on their own terms.’
Asked what frightens her about getting older, she replied: ‘Nothing. This is life’s full adventure and I embrace and accept every day with what it brings.’
Sharp as ever, Turner joked about whether she’d like more sex, money or fame – ‘at my age, is there another option?’ and told how she was enjoying ‘anonymity in retirement’.
Turner is survived by two of her four sons – two preceded her in death – and her 67-year-old husband, Erwin Bach.
The pair married in 2013 after dating for nearly 30 years.
As real as they come: The Proud Mary hitmaker went on to say that she is ‘didn’t act’ her life’ but truly ‘lived it’
‘I am Tina Turner. I am raunchy. But I know I’m a lady and that deep inside of me there’s a craving for class. I know I’m accepted, but what I always wanted was the principal’s daughters’ world,’ she said her of dreams
Making history: Rolling Stone tweeted a reminder that she was the ‘first woman to appear’ on their magazine
Among the first to lead tributes to her today was Mick Jagger, who she shared electrifying on-stage chemistry with.
‘I’m so saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend Tina Turner. She was truly an enormously talented performer and singer.
‘She was inspiring, warm, funny and generous. She helped me so much when I was young and I will never forget her,’ Jagger wrote.
Giorgio Armani, with whom she was close friends, said: ‘I heard the passing of Tina Turner with sadness and disbelief: with her incredible energy she seemed eternal. Her music certainly is. I will miss a great friend, whom I have also had the pleasure to dress many times. In life, she was like she was on stage – pure energy. I am deeply saddened.’
Born Anna-Mae Bullock in 1939 in Brownsville, Tennessee, to Zelma and Floyd Bullock, Turner overcame a turbulent childhood and abusive marriage to become a musical sensation and legendary performer.
In her early 20s, she found fame with the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, a live act with her former husband.
Behind their veneer of success and marital bliss, she endured brutal abuse throughout the marriage. They divorced in 1978.
Gone too soon: In her final interview, just six weeks ago, legendary singer, who died at her home in Küsnach near Zurich, Switzerland, said she wanted to be remembered as ‘the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll’
Turner, determined to succeed on her own and with four sons to raise, stunned fans and the media by speaking publicly about the abuse.
‘I wanted to stop people from thinking that Ike & Tina was so positive, that we were such a great team,’ Turner explained in an eponymous documentary.
By the early 80s, she was a musical powerhouse in her own right, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s most revered rock stars.
Electrifying performances with Mick Jagger and David Bowie set her success on fire and she was quickly celebrated with awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Throughout her career, Turner won eight Grammy’s from 25 nominations and three lifetime Grammy Awards. Her final stadium concert was in Sheffield, England, in 2009.
On April 9, in what are believed to be her final public remarks, she also told The Guardian that she did not fear death (pictured in 1964)
In recent years, she has been memorialized by Tina – The Tina Turner Musical – in London’s West End and across the US.
She attended opening night in New York City in 2019 and dazzled the crowd with a brief performance.
In recent years, she has lived quietly with her husband in Switzerland.
An accompanying statement on the singer’s social media page today said: ‘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.’
Unforgettable: Additionally, she hopes other women view her as ‘a woman who showed other women that it is OK to strive for success on their own terms’ (seen in 1976)
While the specific cause of her death has not been revealed, her health struggles have been well documented.
Her husband Erwin donated one of his kidneys to her in 2017 following years of chronic kidney failure and a cancer diagnosis.
In her memoir, Turner praised Bach for teaching her ‘how to love without giving up who I am’.
‘We grant each other freedom and space to be individuals at the same time we are a couple,’ the singer wrote in her book.
‘Erwin, who is a force of nature in his own right, has never been the least bit intimidated by my career, my talents, or my fame. He shows me that true love doesn’t require the dimming of my light so that he can shine.
‘On the contrary, we are the light of each other’s lives, and we want to shine as bright as we can, together.’
Beloved: Turner is survived by two of her four sons – two preceded her in death – and her 67-year-old husband, Erwin Bach; seen in 1993
Turner’s early childhood in Brownsville, a town in rural Tennessee, was a modest one. Her parents were sharecroppers with a volatile marriage that became so violent her mother took her to live with her grandmother when she was 11.
Aged 16, she moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where she met Ike Turner.
He invited her onstage to sing with his band and became so impressed that he immediately offered her a permanent spot.
By age 20, she and Ike were fronting the Ike and Tina Turner Revue.
Turner went on to launch a solo career, parting ways romantically and musically from Ike to branch out on her own.
In 1969 – a year after trying to kill herself with 50 valium pills – she was awarded her first solo Grammy award for The Hunter.
It wasn’t until she split from Ike in the late 70s and overcame bleak career prospects in Las Vegas that she launched a remarkable comeback.
Turner is survived by two adult sons and her husband Erwin Bach, who she dated for 30 years before marrying a decade ago.
Two of her sons preceded her in death; in 2018, her son Craig, killed himself aged 59 at home in Los Angeles.
In December last year, Turner’s son Ronnie died at the age of 62 from complications caused by colon cancer.
