On 24 May 2023, the world star of rock music Tina Turner passed away in Switzerland at the age of 84. The American singer had one of the most successful careers in her musical genre. A look back at 50 years in the music business and at Tina Turner as a private person.
Tina, whose real name is Anna Mae Bullock, was born on 26 November 1939 in Brownsville, Tennessee. She grew up in the communities of Nutbush and Knoxville. Her parents, father Floyd Richard Bullock, and mother Zelma Priscilla, worked at a military installation during World War II. Her father was a foreman on a farm. Tina Turner has two older sisters, one of whom - Ruby Alline Bullock - later also worked as a singer. One half-sister died in a car accident when Tina was a teenager.
Little Tina grew up in difficult circumstances. When she was 11, her mother Zelma suddenly left the family and moved to St Louis. In her autobiography, Tina later writes that she was an unwanted child who was not loved by her parents. Tina grew up partly in the care of her grandparents.
Tina graduated from high school in 1958 and worked briefly as a nurse in a hospital. As a girl she sang in the church choir, then at 18 she went to nightclubs where she met the rock and roll musician Ike Turner (1931-2007). She released her first recording with him, "Boxtop", in 1958.
The collaboration with Ike was very fruitful: With the single "A fool in love", the singer appeared under her stage name Tina Turner for the first time in 1960. She made a name for herself in the rhythm and blues and pop scene all over the world. In 1966 she opened for the Rolling Stones tour in England with Ike. In 1973, she released her hit song "Nutbush City Limits".
The famous rock group The Who wrote the rock opera Tommy in 1969. It is about the crazy life of the character Tommy between violence, initial disability, and the search for redemption. Cult director Ken Russell filmed the work in 1975, with Roger Daltrey, Elton John (also seen here in the picture), Jack Nicholson and Tina Turner.
Ike Turner quickly became Tina's private partner as well. Their son Ronnie was born in 1960 and they married in 1962. The singer revealed in her autobiography that Ike cheated on her constantly with other women. In 1968 she attempted suicide with sleeping pills. In 1976, after a heated argument, she left Ike, the divorce was pronounced in 1978
After the separation from her partner Ike, Tina entered the stage alone. In the USA she could be seen at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, which is a very famous address for show stars from Frank Sinatra to Rod Stewart. In 1977, she did a solo tour in Australia.
Tina Turner, seen here on a stage in New York in 1989, established herself as one of the top international pop and rock stars. Her album Private Dancer sold 10 million copies worldwide and went platinum 5 times in the USA.
The song from the album Private Dancer becomes Tina's most successful single. Incidentally, it is also her only number 1 hit in the US Billboard charts. The single sold 2 million copies and Tina won three Grammy Awards for it. Shown here with her long-time friend Lionel Richie.
Bob Geldof united numerous top-class pop artists in 1985 to record a charity song for the support of starving people in Africa. The legendary single sold 20 million copies. Tina Turner met Bruce Springsteen (also seen in the photo), Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson and many more during the recording.
Tina was also seen in a film role in 1985: She played alongside Mel Gibson in "Mad Max beyond Thunderdome", the third part of the famous Mad Max series. In the film, Tina embodied the character of the "Aunty Entity", the ruler of "Bartertown".
Tina, seen here in Madrid in 1991, released her greatest hits album "Simply the best" in the same year, which sold a total of 7 million copies. In England, the record went 8 times platinum with 2 million sales.
In 2009, the singer ended her show career. The photo shows her in London's O2 Arena in March 2009. The then 70-year-old thrilled her fans with her great looks, her powerful voice and her unbroken dynamism.
After her stage retirement, Tina worked on a musical about her life. The premiere took place in London in 2018. The picture shows Adrienne Warren, who played Tina, and the real Tina in 2019.
Tina Turner had lived in Küsnacht near Zurich since 1994. In 2013, she even took Swiss citizenship and gave up her US citizenship. Before naturalising, Tina took extra German lessons - in 'High German' and not in Swiss German.
Tina had many a famous neighbour in tranquil Switzerland. Tennis star Roger Federer, seen here recently during the F1 Grand Prix of Miami, who lives just a few kilometres away, was himself initially interested in Tina's property in Küsnacht. The ex-footballer Guenther Netzer, revealed in 2006: "Tina Turner, she lives back there by the lake and goes about the market in all peace of mind. Switzerland is multicultural, and the Swiss respect the desire for anonymity."
Tina earned a lot of money in the course of her long career through a lot of hard work. Her fortune is estimated at 211 million euros.
Tina, seen here with Shawn Bell who was admitted to the hospital at age 1 as one of the first research subjects in St. Jude's HIV programme, donated $250,000 to St. Jude's Children's Hospital for Pediatric AIDS Research . She herself has two children, whom she had at a young age. In 1958, her son Raymond Craig was born, his father Raymond Hill being a musician. With Ike Turner she has her son Ronald Renelle Turner in 1960. She also adopted two of Ike Turner's children from previous relationships.
The singer had been together with the German music manager Erwin Bach, 16 years her junior, since 1986 and had also been married since 2013. In 2013 she suffered a stroke, in 2016 she was diagnosed with bowel cancer, and kidney problems also came up. Bach even donated a kidney to his wife in 2017. The Queen of Rock died at her home in Küsnacht. Her husband, her friends like Oprah Winfrey (also pictured), and millions of fans worldwide mourn her death.
