Rock legend Tina Turner has died. The American-born singer and actress, who rose from the humblest of circumstances and an abusive first marriage to become one of the most successful recording artists of all time, died on Wednesday at the age of 83. The Swiss by choice died peacefully after a long illness at her home in Küsnacht, near Zurich, a Sky News spokesperson said late on Wednesday.
The “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll” sent an audience of millions into raptures with her powerful voice, daring costumes, sensual choreography and exuberant energy. Worldwide hits such as “Private Dancer”, “Simply the Best”, “We Don’t Need Another Hero” or “What’s Love Got To Do With It” guaranteed her a permanent place on the Olympus of pop in the 1980s and 1990s. After a farewell tour in 2009, she retired into private life at age 70. According to her own statements, after decades of hard work, she was now enjoying life without obligations.
After that, Turner rarely appeared in public, for example to promote a book or a musical about his life story. With her German partner Erwin Bach, who is 16 years her junior, she has lived on Lake Zurich, Switzerland, since the 1990s. The two celebrated a lavish wedding reception there in 2013. Turner also obtained Swiss citizenship in that year. year.
The White House described the death of the rock icon as “incredibly sad” news. In Austria, Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) was worried. “With Tina Turner, an exceptional artist left the stage forever. A woman with great humanity and an incredibly difficult personal story. Her music has shaped entire generations,” he wrote on Twitter. “Today the world lost an authentic, strong and combative woman. A woman who showed women that they can be strong,” wrote Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. “You were simply the best. Tina Turner,” tweeted Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar.
Numerous artists also paid tribute to the deceased. “I am so saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend Tina Turner. She truly was an extremely talented artist and singer. She was inspiring, warm, funny and giving,” Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger wrote on Instagram. “She helped me a lot when I was young and I will never forget her.” Canadian singer Bryan Adams (63) thanked the singer for “the inspiration for millions of people around the world” to whom she gave her voice. “Rejoice in paradise, queen. Legends never die,” actress Rosario Dawson (44) wrote on Instagram. “Thank you for the inspiration you’ve given us all,” US singer Ciara (37) wrote on Twitter. Heaven has now gained “an angel”. “The Queen, Legend, Icon,” model and actress Naomi Campbell (53) wrote on Turner’s Instagram page. There will never be anyone like Turner again.
Turner rose to fame as a duo with then-husband Ike Turner in the 1960s and 1970s. Hits such as “River Deep – Mountain High”, “Proud Mary” and “Nutbush City Limits” stormed the charts in many countries. As Turner revealed much later, the marriage was an ordeal for her. Ike beat and bullied her. She ran away from him at age 37. Turner dropped all financial claims to jointly creating music to quickly get over the divorce and begin a solo career.
At the age of 45, she once again shines in the spotlight: the album “Private Dancer” was her solo breakthrough in 1984. Since then, she has filled stadiums and stages with music all over the world and achieved several worldwide successes. Turner has won several music awards. In 2021 she was inducted into the “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame” in Cleveland, USA. “If they’re still giving me awards at 81, I must have done something right,” she joked at the ceremony via video link from Switzerland.
Turner had two biological children who predeceased her at ages 59 and 62. She herself had colon cancer and kidney failure. Her husband donated one of his kidneys to her in 2017. In the 2019 autobiography “My Love Story”, she recounted life’s many painful experiences, but honored Bach as her savior and the greatest love of her life.
Turner has integrated well in his adopted country of Switzerland. As reported by the Swiss news agency sda, she learned German and voted “exemplarily” in the federal referendum. She arrived in Switzerland and the food suits her too, she said. In addition to cheese, she was particularly delighted with the Swiss bread “Bürli”. She gave the city of Küsnacht Christmas lights on her 75th birthday. In December 2021, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Bern for her “unique artistic-musical work”.