LOS ANGELES, May 24, 2023 (AFP) – Rock legend Tina Turner, the growling songstress who electrified audiences for decades, died Wednesday at the age of 83 after a long illness.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner,” read a statement on the official Instagram page of the eight-time Grammy winner.
“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.”
Publicist Bernard Doherty confirmed the news, which he said had robbed the world of “a music legend and a role model.”
Doherty said Turner died after a long illness at her home in Kusnacht near Zurich, Switzerland.
He gave no details of the illness.
Turner first encountered fame more than six decades ago with husband Ike Turner.
The pair recorded a number of hits together throughout the 1960s and 1970s, in a musical partnership in which she was clearly the more talented.
After their troubled and violent marriage collapsed — she fled in 1976 mid-tour — Tina Turner forged a wildly successful solo career.
The following decades gifted the world instantly recognizable hits like “What’s Love Got to Do With It?”, “Private Dancer” and the anthemic “The Best”.
Her “We Don’t Need Another Hero” featured on the soundtrack to “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome,” the 1985 post-apocalyptic thriller starring Mel Gibson.
A decade later she oozed her way through “Goldeneye,” joining the select ranks of artists who have sung on the James Bond franchise.
Reaction to her death was swift and came from across the spectrum.
– ‘Queen of Rock and Soul’ –
Fellow singer Gloria Gaynor took to Instagram to hail Turner’s mold-breaking career.
“I am so, so very sad to hear of the passing of Tina Turner, the iconic, legend who paved the way for so many women in rock music, black and white,” she wrote.
“She did with great dignity and success what very few would even have dared to do in her time and in that genre of music.
“She will be sorely missed.”
Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger lamented the loss of “an enormously talented performer and singer.
“She was inspiring, warm, funny and generous. She helped me so much when I was young and I will never forget her.”
Bandmate Ronnie Wood called her “the Queen Of Rock And Soul and a dear friend.”
Basketball legend Magic Johnson posted a picture with the songstress, whom he said was “one of my favorite artists of all time”.
“I’ve seen her many many times and hands down, she gave one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen. She always gave you your moneys worth,” he tweeted.
Singer Ciara tweeted: “Thank you for the inspiration you gave us all.”
Actor Forest Whitaker praise Turner’s “voice, her dancing, and her spirit.”
But he also hailed her ability to bounce back, in a nod to the difficulty of escaping her troubled marriage to Ike.
“As we honor her, let’s also reflect on her resilience, and think about all the greatness that can follow our darkest days. Thank you for sharing your gifts with us, Tina.”
English crooner Rick Astley tweeted “What a woman, what a life, what a voice! One of the GREATS!” while NASA declared that Turner’s “legacy will forever live among the stars.”
