Tina Turner’s 62-year-old son, Ronnie, died after a battle with colon cancer and clogged arteries, the coroner revealed.
The ‘Proud Mary’ singer, 83, who had four children, including Ronnie by her late husband Ike Turner, shared on Instagram that her son left the world “way too soon”.
The corner report revealed that at the time of his death, Ronnie Turner was also suffering from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease — increased blood flow due to a buildup of cholesterol plaques in the walls of arteries.
His brief battle with cancer only lasted three weeks, according to the coroner’s report, which sheds more light on his health status.
His wife Afida (right) posted a moving tribute to her late husband (centre) on Friday, sharing photos of them through the years. The couple are pictured here with Ronnie’s famous mother (left)
Ronnie Turner (left) is pictured with his father Ike (right) in 1999. Ronnie was pronounced dead at the scene of his home on Thursday after complications from colon cancer
Tina Turner, 83, posted a tribute to her son Ronnie on Thursday after it was revealed he died outside his Los Angeles home at the age of 62
Who is at risk of colon cancer?
According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 40 out of every 100,000 adults in the United States are affected by colon cancer each year.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises Americans to start screening for it when they turn 45. But according to the CDC, three in 10 adults ages 50 to 75 are lagging behind with their screening.
Although colorectal cancer is relatively common, routine screening can prevent serious consequences. More than 92 percent of patients diagnosed with stage one colon cancer live at least five years.
Treatment usually involves surgical removal of the tumor, but not necessarily if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Age is a major risk factor for colorectal cancer. For colorectal cancer, the median age at diagnosis is 68 for men and 72 for women.
Black people have higher rates of colon cancer overall. It is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths among black people, and black women are more likely to die from colon cancer than women of any other racial group.
Colon cancer also has a genetic component. A person with a family history of colorectal cancer is twice as likely to be diagnosed themselves.
The risk increases if other close relatives also have colorectal cancer or if an immediate relative was diagnosed at a younger age.
People who smoke and drink heavily, as well as people who are overweight, also have a higher risk of developing colon cancer.
Ronnie, who survived a previous cancer diagnosis, was found breathing heavily outside his Los Angeles home Thursday morning, TMZ revealed.
Police are said to have been called to Ronnie’s home for the first time Thursday morning when a person called to report he was having trouble breathing outside their Los Angeles home.
Paramedics then rushed to the San Fernando Valley home, where they found bystanders attempting to perform CPR.
But their efforts ultimately failed and Ronnie was pronounced dead at the scene.
The cause of death was only recently announced, with the new report citing colon cancer as the culprit, according to Page Six.
Ronnie’s wife Afida Turner, 45, posted a tribute to Ronnie on Instagram late Friday, saying he had suddenly fallen ill, adding: “F*** cancer”.
Afida posted a photo of Ronnie and his late father, describing him as “a great musician and bass player” and an “amazing soul” with “the heart of a giant.”
Ronnie and his wife married in 2007 after Ronnie made a name for himself starring alongside his mother in the 1993 biopic What Love Has Got to Do with It, which told the story of her life, and played bass guitar on some of her tours played.
He also played in his own band called Manufactured Funk.
More than 106,000 new cases of colon cancer occur in the US each year, making it the third most common after skin, breast and lungs.
That means about 1 in 20 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer at some point in their lives, although the risk is slightly higher for men.
Nearly 53,000 Americans die from colon cancer each year, resulting in a 64 percent five-year survival rate.
If the cancer is caught at a very late stage, the survival rate is a miserable 17 percent.
Ronnie’s death is just the latest tragedy to befall the famous family, four years after his older brother Craig killed himself at his Studio City home at the age of 59.
Craig was pronounced dead at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Tina had two biological sons, Craig with Raymond Hill and Ronnie with Ike Turner. She also adopted two of Ike’s children and raised them as her own
Ronnie Turner is pictured with his wife Afida at a memorial service for his late father Ike in 2007. Ronnie was found dead at his LA home
Later in the day, she shared that Ronnie had died after a three-week battle with cancer
Afida called her husband her “best friend my baby” and shared a photo of him with their dog
Afida is believed to have been the person who called 911 Thursday morning to report that Ronnie was having trouble breathing outside her home
Afida recently shared a photo on her Instagram for Ronnie’s 62nd birthday
Ronnie was found outside his San Fernando Valley home (pictured) struggling to breathe, but efforts to save him with CPR failed
Ronnie is pictured with his older brother Craig in an undated photo
Ronnie’s death comes just four years after his older brother Craig killed himself at his Studio City home at the age of 59. Craig is pictured here with her mother
Turner had described Craig, also recently deceased, as a very emotional child who was upset at how her then-husband abused her
The Turner clan enjoys a dinner together. Ronnie is circled
Ronnie was born in 1960 to Tina and her husband Ike. The couple split in 1976 after Tina accused Ike of beating her, and Ike died of a drug overdose in 2007.
The drug-addicted son of a Mississippi preacher, Ike, beats Tina regularly until, 16 years later, she flees in the middle of the night in a blood-smeared white suit with just 36 cents in her pocket.
She also adopted ex-husband Ike Turner’s two sons, Ike Jr. and Mike. The turbulent story of Ike and Tina is part of music history.
Ike Jr. told in 2018 that he was estranged from his adoptive mother, who now lives in Switzerland with her husband, German music producer Erwin Bach.
In September, Tina and Bach bought a sprawling $68 million estate overlooking Lake Zurich.
Ike Jr. later said his mother all but abandoned her children after moving abroad, although he said they were taken care of financially.
Tina and Ike are pictured with their children in 1972. Ronnie is seen below right in the brown suit. His brother Craig, who killed himself in 2018, stands over him in gray tweed
The Emmy-winning singer is pictured with Ronnie in an undated photo when he was younger
The What’s Love Got to Do With It singer revealed that after Craig’s death, she scattered his ashes off the coast of California
Ike had treated the famous singer abusively, and the mass was part of music history
Tina Turner has since started a new life on Lake Switzerland with her husband Erwin Bach (on the left in 2018 and on the right in Basel 2005).
The couple paid $68 million for a property overlooking Lake Zurich in Switzerland
Ronnie had previously faced drug-related arrests and was arrested in August 1999 for possession of cocaine – with authorities claiming he sold the drugs.
A Los Angeles judge set his bail at $45,000 at the time – noting that he had been convicted two years earlier of possession of a controlled substance, as well as of selling a controlled substance in 1987 and of possessing cocaine in 1988 , reports RadarOnline.
Ronnie was subsequently required To as a narcotics offender but reportedly failed to quit his addiction – going so far as to force his wife and their two children out of his home when they tried to urge him to go along to stop using drugs.
The family is said to have fled into their car as a result.