Hope Davis
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Last updated on June 3rd, 2023 at 09:12 pm
Tina Turner, also known as the Queen of Rock and Roll, is well regarded for her journey from abuse and poverty to one of the most famous recording artists of all time. Whether you are jamming out to “What’s Love Got to Do With It” or “The Best” everyone knows her songs are catchy and some of the best.
Unfortunately, this amazing artist is no longer with us. So how did Tina Turner die? Read on to learn all about the life, and death, of this world-renowned star.
How Did Tina Turner Die?
Tina Turner died after a long battle with several illnesses, mostly due to her advanced age.
In the 6 years leading up to her death, Turner suffered from intestinal cancer and a stroke. At one point, her health was so poor she contemplated assisted suicide. Luckily, it didn’t come to that, and her husband was able to donate a kidney to her in 2018 to prolong her life and save her from kidney failure.
It is unknown which of these illnesses finally took her life in 2023.
Related: The Best Female Rock Singers of All Time
When Did Tina Turner Die?
Tina Turner’s death occurred on May 24th, 2023, in her home in Kusnacht near Zurich, Switzerland.
Did Tina Turner Live in Switzerland?
Prior to her death, Tina Turner was a legal citizen of Switzerland, in fact, she had renounced her US citizenship in 2013. Whether she simply loved the country or wanted to be based in a country closer to that of her German husband, there is no doubt that she called Switzerland home. The pair rented a home in the city of Kusnucht for many years.
How Old Was Tina Turner When She Died?
Tina lived a long and happy life, dying when she was 83 years old.
Where is Tina Turner Buried?
It is unknown at this time where Tina Turner will be buried. According to her agent, her funeral will be a private affair with only friends and family attending. She will likely be buried in Switzerland because, in 2013, she renounced her US citizenship.
Tina Turner’s Husband
Tina Turner dated many famous men during her life, some of which became the fathers of her children. But when it comes to marriages, Tina was only married twice.
Her first husband was Ike Turner, who she married in 1962. The pair met in 1957, but they were just friends for the first 3 years of their relationship. The two were public about their relationship because they also performed together on stage.
Unfortunately, Ike was not a good husband and was constantly cheating and acting abusively toward Tina. While it was hard to explain at the time, Ike was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which explained much of his behavior toward Tina. The pair parted ways in 1976.
It only came out later that during their entire relationship, Ike was married to someone else, which he claimed nullified his marriage to Tina. He was open about the fact that he hit her but claimed that it didn’t count as “beating” her as she told the press.
Tina’s second husband was Erwin Bach, a music executive. The pair met in 1986 and began dating. They took it slow, but in July 2013, the decided to finally tie the knot. The pair remained married until Tina’s death in 2023.
Tina Turner’s Children
Tina Turner was mother to four children during her long life. Two of these children were her biological sons.
Her first son, Raymond Craig, was fathered by Kings of Rhythm saxophonist Raymond Hill. The father of her second son was her abusive ex-husband Ike Turner. This second son was named Ronald Renelle Turner.
Tina’s oldest son Raymond later changed his name to Craig and sadly killed himself in 2018. Her second son, Ronnie, became a bass guitar player in the band Manufactured Funk and married singer Afida Turner. Sadly, Ronnie passed away just before his mother of colon cancer complications in December 2022.
Besides her two biological sons, Tina adopted two of Ike Turner’s sons, Ike Turner Jr. and Michael Turner. Reportedly Tina became estranged from her adopted sons after her divorce from their father.
Tina Turner’s Net Worth
At the time of her death, Tina Turner’s net worth was estimated to be at $250 million, which is quite the accomplishment considering she was on food stamps for a while after her divorce in 1978.
How Did Tina Turner Get Rich?
Tina Turner acquired her net worth almost completely from her music career. Some of it, however, was alimony income from her divorce from Ike Turner. During the proceedings, Tina asked for $4,000 in alimony and $1,000 in child support each month from Ike.
Tina may have even been worth more, but the divorce took a hefty portion of her cash, as well as gave Ike some of the rights to her songs. This means that even after they were divorced and not speaking to each other, Ike was still making money off her voice.
Tina Turner’s Will
As of this time, Tina Turner’s will has not yet been read, however, she is survived by her second husband Erwin Bach, who is 16 years her junior. Erwin is also in the music industry and previously saved Tina’s life with a kidney donation. It is expected that he will receive the bulk of her estate.
It is also possible that her two granddaughters through her second son Ronnie, may also be named in Tina’s will.
Related: The Best Rock Songs of All Time: The Ultimate Top 40
Who Inherited Tina Turner’s Money?
It is assumed that Tina’s second husband, Erwin Bach will inherit most of Tina’s money, though her two granddaughters may also receive something from her estate. It is also possible her two adopted sons may be left something by their ex-stepmother.
What Were Tina Turner’s Last Words?
It is unknown what Tina Turner’s last words were, but her last words to Angela Bassett have made headlines. While she said these words to her fellow artist a few weeks ago, Bassett states she will never forget her kind words which are written below.
“Her final words to me — for me — were ‘You never mimicked me, instead, you reached deep into your soul, found your inner Tina, and showed her to the world.’”
Tina Turner’s Early Life
Tina was born under the name Anna Mae Bullock in 1939 in Tennessee. She was the youngest girl in her family and her father was a sharecropper. When she was young, Anna had to pick cotton with the rest of her family to make ends meet.
When World War II hit, Anna, and her two sisters were divided as their parents went to work for the war effort. Anna was sent to live with her grandparents while her two older sisters were sent to work at the Baptist church. When the war ended, the family once again lived together in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Unfortunately, when Anna was 11, her mother left the family, and her father became involved with another woman. Not wanting his previous children, Anna and her sisters were sent to live with their grandmother.
Anna began singing in the choir at her church and worked as a domestic worker throughout high school. She also joined the cheerleading squad and later went through school to become a nurse.
Anna’s grandmother died when she was 16, leaving her to make her own way in the world.
Tina Turner’s Career
After her grandmother’s death Anna would work during the day and visit clubs with her sister at night. At one of these nightclubs, she first saw Ike Turner in 1957 performing with the Kings of Rhythm and asked to sing with his band. He brushed her off.
Not one to be discouraged, during an intermission one night, Anna snatched the microphone and sang while the band was on intermission. The crowd went wild, and she ended up singing the rest of the night.
Anna’s music career continued under Ike’s thumb, and she released a few singles, but most were duds. Her real break, however, came when she was scheduled to sing as a backup singer for a recording, but the main singer Art Lassiter, never showed up. The studio owner allowed Turner to record her demo of “A Fool in Love” instead. He was so impressed he sent the song to Sue Records, who paid Anna $25,000 for the song.
As a result of this success, Ike agreed to work with Anna, but only if she changed her name to Tina. Ike also required that she take his last name, Turner, even though they weren’t married at the time.
Tina’s song “A Fool in Love” was an instant hit, and Ike immediately scheduled a nationwide tour with Tina, even hiring a backup group, the Ikettes, for on stage support.
The couple toured relentlessly, barely pausing to get married in 1962. The success and whirlwind of fame continued until 1976, when Tina filed for divorce after a fight during which Ike punched her, and effectively ended their career as a duo. Many thought that this would be the end of Tina Turner.
Tina returned to the stage in 1977 with a re-vamped image that quickly proved everyone wrong. While it took a few years to get her solo career up and going, by 1981 she was opening for the rock band The Rolling Stones, but she still didn’t reach the critical acclaim she had held when she toured with Ike.
This all changed in 1983 when she released “Let’s Stay Together”, and it became an instant chart topper. She recorded and released multiple albums over the next two years, and she also appeared in the Blockbuster hit Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.
Once again, Tina was back on top, with fans calling for her to sing and act. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. Her hits from this era include “I Don’t Wanna Fight,” “When the Heartache is Over,” “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” and “Teach Me Again.”
She also received multiple Grammy Awards and continued to sing at events and on stage even after her retirement in 2000, until 2021 when she officially sold all her music rights to BMG rights management so she could focus on her health.
Conclusion
Overall, the world will greatly miss the stylings Tina Turner, but after her health struggles of the last few years, she is likely finally at peace. While details of her funeral and burial have not yet been announced, we won’t need a gravesite to remember this woman who forever changed the face of rock and roll.
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