Rock Icon Tina Turner Passes Away

Facts

• Legendary singer Tina Turner passed away at 83 on Wednesday at her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland, according to her publicist Bernard Doherty. Though he didn't provide the cause, she had faced a number of health issues in recent years, including a stroke and kidney disease.¹
• Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock in 1939 to sharecroppers near Nutbush, Tenn., where she said she "had food on the table" but no "fancy things." After her grandmother died in 1950, she and her sister Ruby moved to St. Louis, Mo., to live with her mother.²
• It was there that she began her career, performing with the band Kings of Rhythm, whose leader, Ike Turner, she later married. The band had a few hits, most notably "A Fool in Love," which reached No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop charts, though they never reached national fame.³
• Turner was only 17 when she met Ike, eventually leaving him in 1976, and later claiming in a 1981 People magazine article that her marriage was abusive.⁴
• Alongside her musical hits, such as "Better Be Good to Me" and "What's Love Got to Do With It," she was also known for her acting roles as Acid Queen in Ken Russell’s film version of "Tommy" and Aunty Entity in "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome."¹
• She is survived by her long-term romantic partner, German music executive Erwin Bach — whom she met in 1985 before moving to London to begin her residency in Europe — as well as two sons of Ike Turner, who she had adopted.⁵

Sources: ¹New York Times, ²CNN, ³Washington Post, ⁴FOX News, and ⁵Reuters.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Nicki Swift. While the world mourns the death of this truly exceptional American icon, we shouldn't forget the struggles she went through to reach — and maintain — stardom. Turner is a prime example of what celebrities often face behind the scenes; she was taken advantage of and pushed to perform, whether she was physically up to the task or not. Her life was a tragedy, and that fact shouldn't be brushed aside.
• Narrative B, as provided by Oxygen. Although her struggles shouldn't be dismissed, they also shouldn't be allowed to overshadow her incredible talent. Tina Turner should be remembered as an icon on and off the stage, selling hundreds of millions of albums, starring in famous movies, and inspiring women through her feminism. It's time the public finally closes the chapter on her tragic past and commemorates her inspiring attributes.