In remembrance of Tina Turner.
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock): November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023
On Wednesday, May 24, 2023, Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock) passed peacefully in her home in Switzerland at age 83. Tina was born in Brownsville, Tennessee and was considered an American-born Swiss singer Known as the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll”.
Tina rose to success as the lead singer of the “Ike & Tina Turner Revue” before launching into a very successful solo performance career. She was noted for possessing a swagger, sensuality, powerful gravelly vocals and unstoppable energy, along with her well-publicized history with ex-husband Ike Turner. Turner began her career with Ike Turner’s band Kings of Rhythm in the year 1957 under the name Little Ann. By the year 1960, she debuted with her name Tina Turner with the hit duet single “A Fool in Love“, with the duo Ike & Tina Turner and became a great legend in time, with at least four hits including “Proud Mary” before disbanding in the year 1976.
In the 1980’s, Turner launched her great resurgence to be a real platinum star for the music history. Her 1984 album Private Dancer containing the hit song “What’s Love Got to Do with It“, went multi-platinum winning a Grammy Award for the Record of the Year and became her first and only number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. At age 44, she was the oldest female solo artist to top the Hot 100. Tina became involved with doing music for movies, like Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, with the hit “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)“. Tina’s Break Every Rule World Tour in the year 1988 set a Guinness World Record for a solo performer with the then largest paying audience of 180,000 patrons.
In 1993, Turner was the feature of the Touchstone Pictures movie “What’s Love Got To do With It” starring Angela Bassett. This movie is one of my three famous favorite movies, based on Tina’s 1986 autobiography I, Tina, with a plot considering breaking free with an abusive husband, and retaining the legend of her name “Tina Turner” and then really making it to the big time on her own.
By the 2000’s, she went on, keeping busy in the music industry, working with stars like Beyoncé and others, and achieving the honors of being recognized by the Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
Tina had a modest and illustrious career in the music industry throughout her whole life, and became quite the star of Hollywood, having her star inducted in the year 1986 on Hollywood Boulevard (featured below). Tina had considered herself as a “Buddhist–Baptist”, being brought up in the Baptist church where her father was a deacon, later converting to Buddhism as an adult. Tina had been battling illness some years in her home in Kusnacht, near Zurich, Switzerland. Tina Turner will be missed by many, and my prayers go to all the people who she touched and her family and friends abroad.
Remembering Tina Turner – 1939-2023
What an artist, performer, icon and survivor! Was very sad to hear of hear passing. I remember when Private Dancer came out. And I believe I had it on cassette. She will be missed!