With hits like "What's Love Got To Do With it" Tina Turner stormed the charts. Now the US singer died in her adopted home of Switzerland. Many people are grieving.
Update from May 25, 9:15 a.m.: Following the death of Tina Turner, numerous celebrities have expressed their condolences. TV entertainer Thomas Gottschalk wrote on Instagram: "She was a power woman. One of the first and one of the last! One of her songs was called: 'I might have been Queen'. For me, it was." In addition, the "Wetten dass...?" presenter posted several pictures of herself and Tina Turner on the net, which had been taken during Gottschalk's various broadcasts over the years.
In 1996, Tina Turner and Thomas Gottschalk danced a Viennese waltz on the TV show "Wetten, dass...?". © Werner Getzmann/dpa
Mick Jagger, singer of the Rolling Stones, also commented on Instagram. "I am so saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend Tina Turner. She was truly a tremendously talented artist and singer. She was inspiring, warm, fun and generous," the 79-year-old Briton wrote. He added, "She helped me so much when I was young, and I'll never forget her." Jagger posted a photo of an ecstatically dancing young Tina Turner.
Tina Turner dies at the age of 83 – White House mourns loss of an "icon"
The White House also reacted to the death of the rock legend, with a spokeswoman for President Joe Biden speaking of a "great loss". In the daily White House press conference, she added: "Tina Turner was an icon, a music icon who in her career (...) had a lot of great moments."
Canadian singer Bryan Adams (63) said: "The world has just lost one of the greatest artists of all time. I will be forever grateful for the time we spent together on tour, in the studio and as friends." He thanked Turner for "inspiring millions of people around the world" to whom she had given her vote. There was also great grief at Turner's place of residence. Many people laid candles and flowers in front of the singer's house in Switzerland, in Küsnacht near Zurich, on Wednesday evening. The star of the legendary singer on Hollywood's "Walk of Fame" was also decorated with flowers.
Tina Turner died "after a long illness" – cause of death not yet known
First reported on 24 May: Munich/Zurich – Rock singer Tina Turner has died. The US-born actress died on Wednesday (24 May) at the age of 83 in her adopted home of Switzerland, a spokesman for the family announced in the evening. There she lived for many years in the town of Küsnacht near Zurich. She died after a long illness, it was said. However, the exact cause of death is still unknown. Turner has struggled with health problems for the past ten years. She suffered a stroke in 2013, three years later the singer was diagnosed with colon cancer, and in 2017 she had to undergo a kidney transplant.
A statement was released on Tina Turner's official Instagram account. It reads: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner. With her music and boundless passion for life, she has 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. Our deepest sympathy goes out to her family. Tina, we will miss you very much."
0
Also Read
Tina Turner is dead – rock icon died "after a long illness"
READ
US legend Tina Turner died at the age of 83: That's why the singer lived in Switzerland
READ
"Zombie drug" rolls over Los Angeles – it causes skin and muscles to rot
READ
No more queuing: How holidaymakers can get through toll stations in Italy faster by car
READ
Inferno in Italy: Shopping center on Lake Garda burns out
READ
Fancy a voyage of discovery?
My Area
Singer Tina Turner dies at the age of 83 – she achieved numerous world hits
Turner was born on November 26, 1939 in Nutbush, Tennessee in the United States. Her real name was Anna Mae Bullock, and she became a world star under her stage name Tina Turner. In the late 60s, together with her husband at the time, she celebrated her first successes as the singer of the band Ike & Tina Turner Revue.
Tina Turner is dead. The singer died at the age of 83. © Christian Charisius/dpa
The couple's relationship was turbulent, Ike Turner was also violent towards his wife in the marriage. But Tina Turner couldn't get away from him and only managed to escape from a hotel in 1976. In order to get the divorce over with quickly, she gave up all financial claims. At the end of the 80s, she soberly summed up: "It was not a good life", as can be seen in a 2021 documentary. Since their best years were just coming. After separating from her husband both privately and professionally, the singer was also successful worldwide as a solo artist.
After a tough split from husband Ike, Tina Turner takes off solo
However, the beginning was tough, Turner restarted with almost 40 and only a few cents in his pocket. As a single mother of two sons, she fought her way through. At first, Turner sang and danced only in clubs and hotels. The singer later said she cleaned where she stayed: "Better someone else cleaning lady than Ike Turner's wife!" In 1984, at the age of 45, she made her breakthrough as a solo artist with her album "Private Dancer". It earned her four Grammys. The hit "What's Love Got To Do With It?" sounded like a self-deprecating, but also bitter review of his marriage to Ike.
Tina Turner is also considered a great role model for today's world stars like Beyoncé Knowles. She thrilled millions of fans worldwide with her music, but also with her energetic live performances. In total, Turner sold over 180 million albums. In the charts she landed numerous world hits, in addition to "What's Love Got To Do With it" also songs like "Private Dancer" and "The Best". In addition, Turner was awarded a total of eight Grammys in her career.
Turner married a German and moved with him to Switzerland
She also found happiness in her private life. In the mid-80s, the German Erwin Bach became the man at Tina Turner's side. The couple moved to Küsnacht on Lake Zurich in Switzerland about ten years later. Turner later also took Swiss citizenship. She rejected Bach's marriage proposals for years until she finally said yes in 2013 – Turner was 73 at the time, he was 57. Bach donated a kidney to his wife in 2017.
Tina Turner and her German husband Erwin Bach. © Massimo Percossi/dpa
Turner's son Craig from a teenage relationship died by suicide in 2018 at the age of 59. Her second biological son from her marriage to Ike Turner, Ronnie Turner, also died in 2022 at the age of 62. The singer had also adopted two boys that Ike had brought into the marriage.
In her own words, the Buddhist woman was not afraid of dying. "I'm ready when the door opens," she told Die Zeit in October 2018. Turner had colon cancer and kidney failure. Her German husband Erwin Bach donated a kidney to her in 2017. The Turner family spokesperson said in a statement: "There will be a private funeral attended by close friends and family. Please respect the family's privacy during these difficult times." (KH with dpa)
