Tina Turner is dead at 83 years old. Reuters reports that according to her representative, the iconic musician died today (May 24). She died “peacefully” after a lengthy illness, at her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland (near Zürich).
A post shared on Turner’s official Instagram page confirms the news. It reads, “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner. 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 first saw success with her music career in the 1960s and early ’70s, charting a number of albums and singles as part of Ike & Tina Turner. She later had a major career resurgence in the ’80s, landing her first No. 1 song with 1984’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It.” She’s commonly referred to as the “Queen Of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” has been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and has won eight Grammy Awards from 25 career nominations.
In her 2018 memoir My Love Story, Turner wrote about dealing with a number of serious health issues during the 2010s. In 2013, she suffered a stroke. She later had early-stage intestinal cancer, and in 2017, she received a kidney transplant from her second husband, Erwin Bach. A 2018 report from The Los Angeles Times noted, “These days, though, Turner, who encouraged people to sign up to be organ donors, undergoes immunosuppressant treatments to prevent her antibodies from attacking the new [kidney]. The side effects include dizziness, forgetfulness, anxiety, and spending more time in the hospital.”
The singer is the subject of a 2021 HBO documentary, Tina. In an interview from the film, Turner said, “Some people say the life that I’ve lived and the performances I gave… the appreciation is lasting with the people and I should be proud of that. I am. But when do you stop being proud? How do you bow out slowly — just go away?” Bach noted shortly after, “She said, ‘I’m going to America and I’m going to say goodbye to my American fans, and I’ll wrap it up.’ I think this documentary and the [musical] – this is it. It’s a closure.”
