Tina Turner, the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” died on Wednesday at 83. A spokesperson confirmed the news, saying Turner died peacefully at her home in Switzerland.
“With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model,” the spokesperson said in a statement according to Sky News.
Turner’s representatives also released a Facebook statement expressing their sorrow.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner,” the statement read. “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. All our heartfelt compassion goes out to her family. Tina, we will miss you dearly.”
Turner rose to fame in the 1960s and dazzled fans for decades with a long list of iconic hits. Some of Turner’s most beloved tracks include “The Best,” “Proud Mary” and “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”
The Tennessee native was born Anna Mae Bullock on Nov. 26, 1939. ABC News reported she became known as Tina Turner after meeting her ex-husband Ike in 1956. The couple married in 1962 and collaborated on songs such as “A Fool in Love,” “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine,” “I Idolize You” and “River Deep – Mountain High.”
The 1993 biopic What’s Love Got to Do with It, based on Turner’s 1986 autobiography I, Tina, shed light on Turner’s relationship with Ike and the abuse she faced before the couple divorced in 1976, Entertainment Weekly mentioned.
Music lovers will remember Turner as one of the most decorated singers ever. The icon won three Grammys for “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” which remained No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for three weeks. According to Deadline, Turner won 12 Grammys in her lifetime. In addition, she sold more than 180 million albums.
The beloved singer married German musician Erwin Bach in 2013 after becoming a citizen of Switzerland. Three years later, Turner was diagnosed with intestinal cancer. She then underwent a kidney transplant in 2017.
Her oldest son, Craig, died in an apparent suicide in 2018, Variety reported. According to Today, she lost her other biological son, Ronnie, five months ago following complications from colon cancer.
In an Instagram post, Turner wrote, “Ronnie, you left the world far too early. In sorrow I close my eyes and think of you, my beloved son.”
The “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll” was known for her talent and inspiring spirit.
“After you’ve bought all your houses and your clothes, you want something bigger,” she told Oprah in 2005. “I want my gift to become a gift for others. We’re caught in a stagnant belief system passed on to us from our parents and what’s been given from the churches. I believe there’s another truth. Dancing and singing is all good, but the ultimate gift is to change people’s minds. What else is there?”
