Remembering Tina Turner, Queen of Rock and Roll
Tina Turner passed away on Wednesday, May 24th at the age of 83. Learn more about the life of the Queen of Rock and Roll.
By bonneville on May 25, 2023
Tina Turner, musician and performer dubbed “The Queen of Rock and Roll,” has died, her manager announced on Wednesday, May 24. She was 83 years old.
Born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939, in Brownsville, Tennessee, Turner most notably rose to fame with the duo Ike and Tina Turner in the ’60s. After capturing Ike’s attention when she sang at a club he performed at, she joined the band and changed her name at his request. The name Tina was inspired by the comic book heroine Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. She was 18 years old at the time.
The two married in 1962 and disbanded after their divorce in 1976. She made a career comeback in 1984 with her solo album Private Dancer, which included the hit single “What’s Love Got To Do With It.” She has sold over 100 million records worldwide, won 12 Grammy awards, and was twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, first as part of Ike and Tina Turner in 1991 and later as a solo artist in 2021.
Turner was known for her swagger and style, great legs, and a powerful, raspy voice that moved audiences worldwide. She successfully bridged rhythm and blues to classic rock and later pop, seamlessly navigating genres to entertain and inspire others.
Turner has worked with countless artists over the span of her career and countless more cite her as an inspiration to their work. Among the celebrities posting tributes to the artist include Mick Jagger, Elton John, Erykah Badu, and Alicia Keys.
Turner was raised Baptist but converted to Buddhism later in life, citing it as one of the sources of strength for her to leave an abusive marriage with Ike. She credited the Liturgy of Nichiren Daishonin and Soka Gakkai International for her introduction to the practice.
Tina wrote a memoir of her life, “I, Tina,” which inspired the biopic released in 1993, starring Angela Bassett as Turner in “What’s Love Got To Do With It.” HBO released a documentary, “Tina,” in 2021, which she called a grand farewell. The musical about her life, “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical on Broadway,” premiered in 2019 and is still touring today. She also appeared in the Who’s rock opera “Tommy” (1975) and “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome” (1985).
Turner is survived by her late husband, Erwin Bach, and her son Ronald “Ronnie” Renelle Turner. Her oldest son, Craig Reynold Turner, died in 2018.
Don’t miss the opportunity to see the Broadway performance about her life in Utah. Get tickets for The Tina Turner Musical, playing at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City from Tuesday, May 30, to Sunday, June 4.
This article originally appeared on FM100.
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