TINA TURNER, the signer behind hits such as What's Love Got to Do With It and The Best, has passed away at the age of 83.
The star, dubbed the Queen of Rock and Roll, passed away peacefully at her home in Switzerland after a long illness, according to her representatives.
"With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model," added the statement.
Paying tribute to Turner, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger called her an 'enormously talented performer and singer'.
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. pic.twitter.com/TkG5VrdxXO— Mick Jagger (@MickJagger) May 24, 2023
"She was inspiring, warm, funny and generous. She helped me so much when I was young and I will never forget her," he added.
Disco star Gloria Gaynor hailed Turner as a pioneer for other female artists.
"I am so, so very sad to hear of the passing of @TinaTurner, the iconic legend who paved the way for so many women in rock music, black and white," she tweeted.
"She did with great dignity & success what very few would even have dared to do in her time and in that genre of music."
Meanwhile, singer Diana Ross wrote: "Shocked. Saddened. Sending condolences to Tina Turner's family and loved ones."
Life and career
Born Anna Mae Bullock in Brownsville, Tennessee on November 29, 1939, Turner grew up in nearby Nutbush.
She started out as a backing singer for future husband Ike Turner's band, The Kings of Rhythm.
The pair tasted success with their 1960 hit A Fool in Love.
As Ike and Tina Turner, more hits followed throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including It's Gonna Work Out Fine, River Deep — Mountain High and Proud Mary.
The pair married in 1962 but split 16 years later, with Turner later detailing his abusive nature in I, Tina — her 1986 autobiography.
Turner performing in April 1982 (Image: AFP via Getty Images)By that time, she had revived a flagging career, first with a 1983 cover of Al Green's Let's Stay Together before scoring a global hit with 1984's What’s Love got to Do With It.
She also made a foray into acting, starring alongside Mel Gibson in 1985's Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.
Turner continued to produce anthemic hits throughout the decade, such as Private Dancer, We Don't Need Another Hero and The Best.
Turner racked up eight Grammy Awards, while three of her hits were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and she was honoured with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
She met German music executive Erwin Bach in 1986 and the pair began dating later that year.
Tina Turner in London in October 2017 (Image: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)They married in Switzerland 27 years later in 2013, shortly after Turner had gained Swiss citizenship.
Turner is predeceased by her two biological sons, Craig and Ronnie.
Craig, whose father was Kings of Rhythm member Raymond Hill, died in 2018 at the age of 59.
Ronnie, whose father was Ike Turner, died from complications of colon cancer in December 2022, aged 62.
She also adopted two of Ike's children from a previous relationship, Ike Jr and Michael.
'Inspired the stars of tomorrow'
Fellow singer and actress Bette Midler hailed Turner as an 'absolutely brilliant performer'.
"Our beloved #TinaTurner has died," she tweeted.
"From #Nutbush to the top, she was an absolutely brilliant performer and inspiration to us all.
"May flights of angels sing her to her rest, but if I know Tina, she is singing lead."
Our beloved #TinaTurner has died. From #Nutbush to the top, she was an absolutely brilliant performer and inspiration to us all. May flights of angels sing her to her rest, but if I know Tina, she is singing lead.
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) May 24, 2023
A tribute on the official Tina Turner Facebook account this evening read: "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."
