Historical Figure
Tina Turner
1939–2023
Singer-songwriter and actress (1939–2023)
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Biography
Tina Turner was a singer, songwriter, actress and author. Dubbed the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she broke both racial and gender barriers in rock music and became a prominent figure in popular culture. Known for her vocal prowess and stage presence, Turner is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 100 million records worldwide.
Timeline
The story of Tina Turner, told in moments.
Born Anna Mae Bullock in Brownsville, Tennessee. Her parents separate when she's 11. She's raised by her grandmother in Nutbush, a tiny unincorporated community. She sings in the church choir and picks cotton after school.
Ike Turner renames her Tina and they record "A Fool in Love." It reaches number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Ike and Tina Turner Revue becomes one of the hardest-working live acts in America. Behind the stage, Ike beats her regularly.
Walks out on Ike after a beating in a limousine on the way to a Dallas hotel. She has 36 cents and a Mobil gas card. She files for divorce. The settlement gives her nothing but the name Tina Turner. She takes it.
Releases Private Dancer. The album sells 20 million copies worldwide. "What's Love Got to Do with It" hits number one. She's 44 years old. Every record label had told her she was finished. She outsells every one of them.
Breaks her own attendance record with 182,000 fans at a concert in Rio de Janeiro. It's the largest paying audience for a solo performer in history. She's 48. Her legs are insured for $3.2 million.
Dies at her home in Kusnacht, near Zurich, Switzerland. She's 83. She became a Swiss citizen in 2013 and renounced her American citizenship. Eight Grammys. Over 200 million records sold. She called Nutbush "my Graceland."
In Their Own Words (20)
Even on the saddest days, one thing helps: treasuring happy memories and looking forward.
Tina Turner's Official Facebook Page (22 January 2021), 2021
Let me say this carefully, because I don't want anyone to take it the wrong way, but after working so hard for so many years, I was ready to stop. This was the moment to do it because I wanted to finish with my fans remembering me at my best.
p. 223, 2018
I was never glamorous. I was always a little rock 'n' roll and a little funky and all of that. I didn't care about being glamorous and all of that. I just loved the freedom that I had and I enjoyed the work and the band and all of that. That was the love. That truly was the love at the time.
"Tina Turner: My Love Story, Part 1", Oprah's SuperSoul Conversations Podcast (17 October 2018), 2018
People think my life has been tough but I think it's been a wonderful journey. The older you get, the more you realise it's not what happens, it's how you deal with it.
As quoted in "TINA TURNER" by Michelle Davies, Marie Claire South Africa (May 2018), p. 125, 2018
I never said, "Well, I don't have this and I don't have that." I said, "I don't have this yet, but I'm going to get it." The way I was thinking, I was choreographing my own life, figuring out which steps to take and, more importantly, picking the right time to take them.
p. 137, 2018
Artifacts (15)
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