Tina Turner died of natural causes, despite intestinal cancer and kidney disease she had suffered for years

On Wednesday, the entertainment world – and the world, in general – said a sad farewell to its queen of rock and roll, the legendary American singer Tina Turner. "He passed away peacefully today at the age of 83, after a long illness at his home in Küsnacht, near Zurich, Switzerland. With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model," his representative confirmed in a statement. That long illness was, in part, an intestinal cancer he was diagnosed with in 2016. At the same time, her kidneys were failing, leading to her needing a transplant in 2017. However, representatives of the artist have revealed to the British media Daily Mail that Tina Turner died of natural causes.

Just two months before her death – and coinciding with International Kidney Day, March 9 – the singer of Proud Mary or The Best, among many other great hits, admitted that her health was at risk because of kidney disease. "My kidneys were the victims of my not realizing that my high blood pressure should have been treated with conventional medicine," he told his million followers on Instagram. "I have put myself in great danger by refusing to face the reality that I need daily, lifelong therapy with medication. For too long I believed that my body was an untouchable and indestructible bastion," he lamented. Turner was diagnosed with hypertension in 1978, she explained in a publication for the awareness campaign for the European Kidney Health Alliance.

More informationTina Turner, the great survivor

After her death, a part of her memoir (Happiness is Born in You, Firefly, 2022) has also resurfaced in which she acknowledges that she came to consider assisted suicide in 2016, before her husband, Erwin Bach, donated a kidney a year later. As he explains in the book, he began to make peace with the idea of death after discovering that high blood pressure had accelerated his kidney damage, which, if not for the transplant, would have been shutting down his body irretrievably.

After a life full of success – throughout her career she won eight Grammys from 25 nominations and three Grammys for her artistic career – but also of abuse – during her first marriage to Ike Turner she suffered constant physical, emotional and verbal abuse – the artist no longer feared death. In fact, she was "ready to die," as she had recently confessed to singer Cher. "He fought this disease for a long time and was as strong as he seemed to be. But near the end, he once told me, 'I'm ready, really. I just don't want to take it anymore," the 77-year-old Believe singer said in a phone call on The Beat with Ari Melber on Thursday.

Tina Turner (right) with Oprah Winfrey at the premiere of "Tina - The Musical," Nov. 7, 2019, in New York.Evan Agostini (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Something similar confessed a few years ago to the presenter Oprah Winfrey, 69, also a friend of the artist for decades and one of the many celebrities who have paid tribute to Turner in their social networks in recent hours. "In 2019 I went to visit her in the hospital and she told me that she was actually ready to go, that is, ready to leave the planet. I was hoping that would be the last time I saw her," Winfrey said Thursday on a broadcast with the CBS Mornings news program.

But it was not so, nor were his illnesses the concrete causes of his death. In addition to clarifying this information, his representatives also posted a photograph of a smiling Tina Turner on his Instagram account to remember his legacy. "With her music and her boundless passion for life, she captivated millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow," recalls the writing that accompanies it, "we say goodbye to a dear friend who leaves us all her greatest work: her music." The initial statement from her representatives indicates that Turner's funeral will be held with a private ceremony attended by close friends of the singer and her family, but the date is still unknown.