Singer Tina Turner has died aged 83, her spokesperson has said.
According to a statement, “Tina Turner, the ‘Queen of Rock’n Roll’ has died peacefully today at the age of 83 after a long illness in her home in Kusnacht near Zurich, Switzerland.
“With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model.”
The US-born star was one of the best-loved female rock singers, known for her on-stage charisma and a string of hits including “The Best”, “Proud Mary”, “Private Dancer” and “What’s Love Got to Do With It”.
Turner had suffered a number of health issues in recent years including cancer, a stroke and kidney failure.
She rose to fame alongside husband Ike in the 1960s with songs including “Proud Mary” and “River Deep, Mountain High”.
She divorced the abusive Ike in 1978, and went on to find even greater success as a solo artiste in the 1980s.
Dubbed the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Tina Turner was famed for her raunchy and energetic stage performances and husky, powerful vocals.
She won eight Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 as a solo artiste, having first been inducted alongside Ike in 1991.
Born Anna Mae Bullock in Tennessee into a sharecropping family, she first found prominence as one of the backing singers for her husband’s band The Kings of Rhythm.
She soon went on to front the band, and the couple tasted commercial success in the 60s with “Fool in Love” and *It’s Gonna Work Out Fine”.
Their other hits included 1973’s “Nutbush City Limits”, about the small town where Tina was born. But Ike’s physical and emotional abuse was taking its toll.
Her life story spawned a 1993 biopic titled What’s Love Got To Do With It, which earned Angela Bassett an Oscar nomination for playing the star; and a hit stage musical – aptly titled Tina: The Musical. She was also the subject of HBO documentary Tina in 2021.
