Tina Turner.Photo: Rhonda Graam/HBO
However, Turner found her way to the top, winning eight Grammys, critical acclaim and the adoration of fans through the course of her lengthy career.
On what would have been her 84th birthday on Nov. 26, take a look back at the late superstar’s life in photos.
01of 13Tina Turner’s Early LifeYoung Tina Turner.Jim O’Neal/HBOAfter her grandmother died when she was 16, Tina followed her mother to St. Louis. It was there where she got involved in the music scene and met her future husband, Ike Turner.
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Tina Turner’s Early Life
Young Tina Turner.Jim O’Neal/HBO
After her grandmother died when she was 16, Tina followed her mother to St. Louis. It was there where she got involved in the music scene and met her future husband, Ike Turner.
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Tina Turner’s Star Turn
Young Tina Turner.Rhonda Graam/HBO
Preparation met opportunity when the singer who was booked to record “A Fool in Love” didn’t show up for the recording session, and Tina rose to the occasion.
“A Fool in Love” was an instant hit and Ike realized he needed Tina in his troupe. He changed her name to Tina Turner and she became the lead vocalist for what became known as Ike & Tina Turner Revue.
03of 13Ike and Tina Turner’s MarriageIke Turner and Tina Turner.Michael Ochs Archives/GettyThough Ike and Tina’s relationship was platonic at first, with Tina admitting in the HBO Max documentary,Tina,she viewed him as a big brother, their connection gradually escalated to romance and they got married in 1962.But their union was no sweeping love story. For one, the pair got married in Tijuana in a ceremony the “Proud Mary” singer found out about the same day.“When Ike asked me to marry him, I knew it was for a reason,” she told Gayle King in an interview forCBS Good Morning. “But I had to say yes, I knew, or it was going to be a fight.“Ike was famously abusive and the marriage ultimately ended in divorce 16 years later.
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Ike and Tina Turner’s Marriage
Ike Turner and Tina Turner.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Though Ike and Tina’s relationship was platonic at first, with Tina admitting in the HBO Max documentary,Tina,she viewed him as a big brother, their connection gradually escalated to romance and they got married in 1962.
But their union was no sweeping love story. For one, the pair got married in Tijuana in a ceremony the “Proud Mary” singer found out about the same day.
“When Ike asked me to marry him, I knew it was for a reason,” she told Gayle King in an interview forCBS Good Morning. “But I had to say yes, I knew, or it was going to be a fight.”
Ike was famously abusive and the marriage ultimately ended in divorce 16 years later.
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Tina Turner’s ‘Proud Mary’
Tina Turner in 1975.Michael Putland/Getty
While the association between “Proud Mary” and Tina is indelible, the song is actually not an original Ike and Tina record.
As the duo was working on their second album,Workin' Together,Tina suggested Ike add the song since it had so much success on the road. Ike added the famed guitar riffs and other production elements to make it the hit we know today.
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Tina Turner in 1975.Anwar Hussein/Hulton Archive/Getty
In 1976, Tina filed for divorce from Ike after managing to escape his grip. The “I Don’t Wanna Lose You” singer chose not to fight over any of the assets they had accrued together, though she did want the rights to her stage name, which she won.
06of 13Tina Turner’s ComebackTina Turner at the Grammys.Steve Granitz/Celebrity Photo; Gilles Petard/Redferns/GettyAfter divorcing Ike, Tina found herself in financial arrears. Not only were there business debts to settle, she was also in charge of the four kids the couple shared as proceedings dragged on.To make ends meet, she went back on tour and began her comeback performing covers.In 1983, she was signed to Capitol Records, with whom she releasedPrivate Dancer.The album housed hits such as the titular song, “Private Dancer,” “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” and “Better Be Good to Me.“The album earned threeGrammy Awardsand has been dubbed one of the biggest comebacks in music history.
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Tina Turner’s Comeback
Tina Turner at the Grammys.Steve Granitz/Celebrity Photo; Gilles Petard/Redferns/Getty
After divorcing Ike, Tina found herself in financial arrears. Not only were there business debts to settle, she was also in charge of the four kids the couple shared as proceedings dragged on.
To make ends meet, she went back on tour and began her comeback performing covers.
In 1983, she was signed to Capitol Records, with whom she releasedPrivate Dancer.The album housed hits such as the titular song, “Private Dancer,” “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” and “Better Be Good to Me.”
The album earned threeGrammy Awardsand has been dubbed one of the biggest comebacks in music history.
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Tina Turner’s Private Dancer Tour
Tina Turner in London.David Giles - PA Images/PA Images/Getty
08of 13Tina Turner Headlines the Super Bowl XXXIV Halftime ShowTina Turner in the 2000 Super Bowl halftime show.Brian Bahr/GettyIn 2000, Tina lit up the stage at The Georgia Dome in Atlanta when she headlined the Super Bowl halftime show that year. It would be one of her last performances before she went on hiatus for a few years.
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Tina Turner Headlines the Super Bowl XXXIV Halftime Show
Tina Turner in the 2000 Super Bowl halftime show.Brian Bahr/Getty
In 2000, Tina lit up the stage at The Georgia Dome in Atlanta when she headlined the Super Bowl halftime show that year. It would be one of her last performances before she went on hiatus for a few years.
09of 13Tina Turner at the Kennedy Center HonorsTina Turner at the 2005 Kennedy Center Honors.Chris Greenberg/GettyIn 2005, Tina was among one of the artists who received a Kennedy Center Honor for her contribution to the culture. In her class were other legends such asRobert Redford,Tony Bennett, Suzanne Farrell and Julie Harris.
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Tina Turner at the Kennedy Center Honors
Tina Turner at the 2005 Kennedy Center Honors.Chris Greenberg/Getty
In 2005, Tina was among one of the artists who received a Kennedy Center Honor for her contribution to the culture. In her class were other legends such asRobert Redford,Tony Bennett, Suzanne Farrell and Julie Harris.
10of 13Tina Turner Finds Love AgainTina Turner and Erwin Bach.Jacopo Raule/GettyIn 2013, Tinatied the knot with her long-term beau, music producer Erwin Bach, after 27 years together. They spent their time quietly together in Zurich, Switzerland.The pair first met in 1986 at Cologne Bonn Airport where Bach was assigned to pick the singer up. The connection was instantaneous.“He was [16 years] younger [than me]. He was 30 years old at the time and had the prettiest face. I mean, you cannot [describe] it,” Tina stated in anHBO Max documentary about her life. “It was like insane. [I thought], ‘Where did he come from?’ He was really so good-looking. My heart [was beating fast] and it means that a soul has met, and my hands were shaking.”
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Tina Turner Finds Love Again
Tina Turner and Erwin Bach.Jacopo Raule/Getty
In 2013, Tinatied the knot with her long-term beau, music producer Erwin Bach, after 27 years together. They spent their time quietly together in Zurich, Switzerland.
The pair first met in 1986 at Cologne Bonn Airport where Bach was assigned to pick the singer up. The connection was instantaneous.
“He was [16 years] younger [than me]. He was 30 years old at the time and had the prettiest face. I mean, you cannot [describe] it,” Tina stated in anHBO Max documentary about her life. “It was like insane. [I thought], ‘Where did he come from?’ He was really so good-looking. My heart [was beating fast] and it means that a soul has met, and my hands were shaking.”
11of 13Tina Turner’s 50th Anniversary TourTina Turner at Madison Square Garden.Kevin Mazur/WireImageAfter taking some much-deserved time off — eight years away from the public eye, to be exact — Tina announced while onThe Oprah Showthat she’d be hitting the stage one more time. She was 68.The 50th Anniversary Tour began in October 2008 and went through May 2009 with a total of 84 sold-out dates across North America and Europe.This would be her final tour, as she announced her retirement once the tour wrapped.
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Tina Turner’s 50th Anniversary Tour
Tina Turner at Madison Square Garden.Kevin Mazur/WireImage
After taking some much-deserved time off — eight years away from the public eye, to be exact — Tina announced while onThe Oprah Showthat she’d be hitting the stage one more time. She was 68.
The 50th Anniversary Tour began in October 2008 and went through May 2009 with a total of 84 sold-out dates across North America and Europe.
This would be her final tour, as she announced her retirement once the tour wrapped.
12of 13Tina Turner on BroadwayTina Turner on Broadway.Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/ShutterstockIn 2018, the living legend made one last foray into the public eye whenTina: The Tina Turner Musicalpremiered on Broadway. LikeWhat’s Love Got to Do With It— a 1993 film following Tina’s life in the spotlight — the play chronicled her illustrious life and career, but focused more on her comeback era and mega hits.
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Tina Turner on Broadway
Tina Turner on Broadway.Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
In 2018, the living legend made one last foray into the public eye whenTina: The Tina Turner Musicalpremiered on Broadway. LikeWhat’s Love Got to Do With It— a 1993 film following Tina’s life in the spotlight — the play chronicled her illustrious life and career, but focused more on her comeback era and mega hits.
13of 13Tina Turner’s Final YearsTina Turner.Margaret Norton/NBC/GettyThroughout her five-decade-long career, Tina amassed a slew of awards, including eight Grammys, three AMAs, seven Billboard Music Awards and many more.She received three Grammy Hall of Fame Awards for “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” “River Deep, Mountain High” and “Proud Mary.“She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice — the first time in 1991 with Ike, and the second time in 2021, weeks ahead of her 82nd birthday.On May 24, 2023,Tina died at age 83after a long illness at her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland.“With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model,” her spokesperson, Bernard Doherty,said in a statement.
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Tina Turner’s Final Years
Tina Turner.Margaret Norton/NBC/Getty
Throughout her five-decade-long career, Tina amassed a slew of awards, including eight Grammys, three AMAs, seven Billboard Music Awards and many more.
She received three Grammy Hall of Fame Awards for “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” “River Deep, Mountain High” and “Proud Mary.”
She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice — the first time in 1991 with Ike, and the second time in 2021, weeks ahead of her 82nd birthday.
On May 24, 2023,Tina died at age 83after a long illness at her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland.
“With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model,” her spokesperson, Bernard Doherty,said in a statement.
source: people.com
