Tina Turner, the earthshaking soul singer whose rasping vocals, sexual magnetism and explosive energy made her an unforgettable live performer and one of the most successful recording artists of all time, died on Wednesday at her home in Kusnacht, Switzerland. She was 83.
The American-born singer began her career in the 1950s during the early years of rock and roll and evolved into an MTV phenomenon. Sometimes nicknamed the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, Turner won six of her eight Grammy Awards in the 1980s.
Ike Turner, whose 1951 song “Rocket 88” has often been called the first rock and roll record, discovered her at age 17 when she grabbed the mic to sing at his club show in St Louis in 1957. He later recorded a hit song, “A Fool In Love”, with his protege and gave her the stage name Tina Turner, before the two married in Tijuana, Mexico. Tina employed her strong voice and strenuously rehearsed dance routines as lead vocalist in an ensemblecalled the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. The superstar was forthcoming about the abuse she suffered from her husband during their marital and musical partnership in the 1960s and 1970s. She described bruised eyes, busted lips, a broken jaw and other injuries that repeatedly sent her to the emergency room. Turner left her husband one night in 1976 on a tour stop in Dallas, after he pummelled her during a car ride and she struck back, according to her memoir. Their divorce was finalised in 1978.
After leaving her husband, Turner spent years struggling to regain the limelight, releasing solo albums and singles that flopped and gigging at corporate conferences. In 1980, she met new manager Roger Davies, an Australian music executive who went on to manage her for three decades. That led to a solo no. 1 “What’s Love Got to Do With It” — and then in 1984 her album “Private Dancer” landed her at the top of the charts. “Private Dancer” went on to become Turner’s biggest album, the capstone of a career that saw her sell more than 200 million records in total. In 1985, Turner met German music executive Erwin Bach who became her long-term partner and she moved to London in 1988, beginning a decades-long residency in Europe.
She released two studio albums in the 1990s that sold well, recorded the theme song for 1995 Bond movie “Golden Eye”, and staged a successful world tour in 2008 and 2009. After that, she retired from show business. She married Bach, relinquishing her US citizenship and becoming a citizen of Switzerland. She battled several health problems after retiring.
The American-born singer began her career in the 1950s during the early years of rock and roll and evolved into an MTV phenomenon. Sometimes nicknamed the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, Turner won six of her eight Grammy Awards in the 1980s.
Ike Turner, whose 1951 song “Rocket 88” has often been called the first rock and roll record, discovered her at age 17 when she grabbed the mic to sing at his club show in St Louis in 1957. He later recorded a hit song, “A Fool In Love”, with his protege and gave her the stage name Tina Turner, before the two married in Tijuana, Mexico. Tina employed her strong voice and strenuously rehearsed dance routines as lead vocalist in an ensemblecalled the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. The superstar was forthcoming about the abuse she suffered from her husband during their marital and musical partnership in the 1960s and 1970s. She described bruised eyes, busted lips, a broken jaw and other injuries that repeatedly sent her to the emergency room. Turner left her husband one night in 1976 on a tour stop in Dallas, after he pummelled her during a car ride and she struck back, according to her memoir. Their divorce was finalised in 1978.
After leaving her husband, Turner spent years struggling to regain the limelight, releasing solo albums and singles that flopped and gigging at corporate conferences. In 1980, she met new manager Roger Davies, an Australian music executive who went on to manage her for three decades. That led to a solo no. 1 “What’s Love Got to Do With It” — and then in 1984 her album “Private Dancer” landed her at the top of the charts. “Private Dancer” went on to become Turner’s biggest album, the capstone of a career that saw her sell more than 200 million records in total. In 1985, Turner met German music executive Erwin Bach who became her long-term partner and she moved to London in 1988, beginning a decades-long residency in Europe.
She released two studio albums in the 1990s that sold well, recorded the theme song for 1995 Bond movie “Golden Eye”, and staged a successful world tour in 2008 and 2009. After that, she retired from show business. She married Bach, relinquishing her US citizenship and becoming a citizen of Switzerland. She battled several health problems after retiring.