2023-05-25 13:03:24
Born in 1939, Turner made her debut as a backing vocalist in 1958
A number of famous art, music and fans mourned the American singing star Tina Turner, who died Wednesday in Switzerland, at the age of eighty-three, after suffering from illness.
The singer has suffered from a number of health problems in recent years.
Dubbed the “Queen of Rock and Roll”, Turner had a powerful, hurricane-like voice and an appropriate stage presence.
Described by Beyoncé as “the epitome of passion and strength”, she was joined by Sir Mick Jagger and other stars in paying homage to Turner’s musical legacy.
Mariah Carey and Oprah Winfrey also praised the late singer for overcoming years of domestic violence.
The Obama family (the former US president and his wife) praised her, describing her as reflecting in her singing the truth of her soul and the joy and pain she went through.
They were joined by current US President Joe Biden, who noted that Turner began life as a farmer’s daughter and praised her “once-in-a-generation” talent.
Tina Turner rose to fame in the 1960s with her husband, Ike.
image copyright Archyde.com
Beyoncé with Tina Turner at the 2008 Grammy Awards
After battling years of domestic abuse, Ike divorced and went on to achieve greater success as a solo artist in the 1980s with hits like “The Best” and “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”
American singer Gloria Gaynor said Turner “paved the way for a lot of women in rock music, black or white”.
Diana Ross, another artist contemporary of hers, said she was “shocked” and “saddened” by Turner’s death.
Sir Mick Jagger also said he was saddened by the passing of his “wonderful friend”.
“She was truly a very talented artist and singer,” wrote the Rolling Stones frontman. “She was inspiring, warm, funny and generous. She helped me so much when I was young and I will never forget her.”
Sir Elton John Turner described her as “an all-around legend in her recordings or in her singing on stage”.
“We have lost one of the most emotional and influential performers of the word (who takes care of choosing the lyrics of her songs),” he said.
Welsh star Shirley Bassey also recalled how she “really gave it her everything and was a fantastic performer”.
A torn childhood
Turner was born on November 26, 1939, in the small rural town of Knotbush, Tennessee, as Anna Mae Bullock. Her father, Floyd, worked on a local farm.
she had a torn childhood; She and her older sister, Eileen, were separated from the family when their parents moved to work in a munitions factory, and young Anna Mae went to live with her strict, religious grandparents.
When the family was reunited after the war, Anna Mae began singing at the local Baptist church.
Her mother left the family when Anna Mae was just 11 years old, and two years later, when her father remarried, she sent Anna and her sister to live with their grandmother in Brownsville, Tennessee.
She became a cheerleader at her local school, played basketball, and enjoyed her social life. Upon graduating in 1958, she took a job at a hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, and proceeded to become a nurse.
And it was at a nightclub, where she and her sister went to spend an evening, that she first saw Ike Turner with his band, the Kings of Rhythm.
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Tina divorced Ike at the age of forty
During an interlude one night, Anna Mae is shown the microphone, and her performance impresses Ike so much that he asks her to sing with the band.
At the time, she was in a relationship with the band’s saxophonist, Raymond Hill, with whom she had a son, Raymond.
She recorded her first work as a backing vocalist in 1958, but her big break came two years later with a song called “Full in Love”, penned by Turner.
He encouraged Ike to put Anna at the front of the band and persuaded her to change her name to Tina, a move he later said was intended to stop her ex-lovers from tracking her down.
Until now, she was in a relationship with Ike, who divorced his fifth wife. They finally married in 1962.
She later found her biggest success as a solo artist with songs like “What’s Love Got to Do With It”, “Let’s Stay Together”, “Steamy Windows”, “Private Dance” and the James Bond movie theme song “Golden Eye”.
image copyright Getty Images
Turner performing a song with Mick Jagger at a concert in 1985
These successes came after she divorced Ike in 1978, when she was about 40 years old. Some of her sons mentioned her escape from her husband’s assaults.
Inspiration
The charity Women’s Aid was among those to quote one of Turner’s songs, saying “You’ll Always Be The Best”.
In a heartwarming message, singer Mariah Carey called Turner not only an “incredible performer” but a “survivor and inspiration to women everywhere”.
Singer BB Arnold, who sang alongside Turner, told the BBC their relationship had “changed my life” and saved her from an abusive marriage.
Many other musicians including Janelle Monáe, Dolly Parton, Blondies Debbie Harry and Sir Tom Jones were quick to pay tribute to Turner’s achievements.
Turner has won eight Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 as a solo artist, after being inducted earlier alongside Ike.
Her illustrious career has also seen her appear in a number of motion pictures.
Fans around the world paid their respects, flowers were laid on Turner’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, and candles were lit outside her home in Kusnacht, near Zurich.
Bouquets of flowers were also left outside the Aldwych Theater in London in her eulogy.
image copyright Archyde.com
Fans laid bouquets of flowers to pay tribute to the late singer
The BBC also heard feedback from members of the public outside the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC.
A woman named Marilyn said Turner was “the epitome of resilience and starting over.”
Ernest Lawrence, a clothing salesman, hailed the late star as a “great black female” and “a positive image for any woman” after she overcame “difficult times” in her personal life.
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