The rock and R&B icon's life was marked by perseverance and a knack for reinvention, recording hits like “Proud Mary” and “What's Love Got To Do With It.”
Tina Turner, the dynamic rock and R&B icon whose career spanned decades, died Wednesday, representatives announced “with great sadness” on her Instagram page. She was 83.
Turner died peacefully at her home near Zurich, Switzerland, after a long illness, a representative told Reuters.
“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,” read the Instagram statement.
The singer’s life was marked by perseverance and a knack for reinvention, giving the world hits like 1971’s “Proud Mary” and 1984’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It.” Touring the globe, she shared stages with David Bowie and Mick Jagger, starred in a “Mad Max” flick and watched Beyoncé perform in her honor in 2005.
Jagger posted a tribute to the icon on Twitter, writing, “She was inspiring, warm, funny and generous. She helped me so much when I was young and I will never forget her.”
“The words legendary, iconic, diva, and superstar are often overused, and yet Tina Turner embodies them all and so many more,” wrote another powerhouse vocalist, Mariah Carey, on Twitter.
She may be best remembered for her fiery vocals and the spellbinding energy she brought onstage. But Turner’s offstage presence was a quieter one influenced by an upbringing in the segregated South.
Born Anna Mae Bullock on Nov. 26, 1939, in Nutbush, Tennessee, Turner and her older sister were separated at a young age from their parents, who worked as sharecroppers. The children went to live with their grandparents, and, in her teens, Turner considered becoming a nurse. But she also loved to sing in church choir.
