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Music May 24, 2023
Tina Turner performs on stage. | Photo by Samira Khan (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
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The worlds of music and entertainment Wednesday mourned the loss of dynamic singer/dancer/actress Tina Turner, the undisputed Queen of Rock ‘n Roll who died in Switzerland at age 83 following a long illness.
“I’m so saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend Tina Turner,” Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger wrote on his Twitter page. “She was truly 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.”
Jagger was said to have developed his energetic stage presence by watching Turner’s high-octane performances.
Singer Gloria Gaynor called Turner an “iconic legend who paved the way for so many women in rock music, Black and white.”
“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,” Gaynor said.
Turner was a two-time inductee into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, first as part of a duo with husband Ike Turner then later as a solo artist.
“Two-time inductee Tina Turner worked hard to reimagine the role of a Black woman in rock & roll — one that was firmly placed front and center,” according to a statement from The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “During her time in the duo Ike and Tina Turner (inducted in 1991), her electric onstage presence forever raised the bar for live performance.
“Their hits `River Deep-Mountain High’ and `Proud Mary’ endure to this day. But this Queen of Rock & Roll went on to make music history again with her solo career (for which she was inducted again in 2021) and with her bravery in sharing her life story as a book, film, and Broadway musical. There was nothing her deep, robust voice couldn’t do, as displayed on her solo hits like `What’s Love Got to Do with It’ and `Private Dancer.”‘
Musician Bryan Adams wrote on Twitter, “I’ll be forever grateful for the time we spent together on tour, in the studio and as friends. Thank you for being the inspiration to millions of people around the world for speaking your truth and giving us the gift of your voice.”
Turner’s longtime friend Dionne Warwick said in a statement that “not only will I miss that eternal ball of energy named Tina Turner but the entire world will also find this void in their lives. My condolences to her husband and other members of her family. Rest in Peace my friend!”
Singer Ciara wrote, “Heaven has gained an angel. Rest in Paradise, Tina Turner. Thank you for the inspiration you gave us all.”
Lakers legend Magic Johnson posted a photo with Turner on his Twitter page, noting that she gave “one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen.”
“Tina would have so much energy during her performances and was a true entertainer,” Johnson said. “She created the blueprint for other great entertainers like Janet Jackson and Beyoncé and her legacy will continue on through all high-energy performing artists. Cookie and I are praying for her husband and all of her friends and family.”
President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton expressed their sadness as well.
“In addition to being a once-in-a-generation talent that changed American music forever, Tina’s personal strength was remarkable,” Biden said in a statement released by the White House. “Overcoming adversity, and even abuse, she built a career for the ages and a life and legacy that were entirely hers.
“(First lady) Jill (Biden) and I send our love and prayers to her husband Erwin, the rest of the Turner family, and fans around the world who are mourning today for the woman they agree was `simply the best.”‘
In a tweet, Clinton said, “I loved Tina Turner and will never forget meeting her when she came to Little Rock for (a) concert after releasing Private Dancer in 1984. We met again on her 67th birthday in St. Petersburg, where she and Elton John sang for a charity event. She still had it — talent, style, energy, and authenticity — a priceless gift to music lovers everywhere. May she rest in peace.”
Flowers were placed on Turner’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Wednesday afternoon. She received the star in front of the Capitol Records building in 1986.
In addition to her singing career, Turner occasionally showed up on the big screen, most notably portraying The Acid Queen in the 1975 film version of The Who’s rock musical “Tommy.” She also appeared in the Beatles musical “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” played a mayor in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film “Last Action Hero” and portrayed the leader of a post- apocalyptic wasteland city in “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.”
“The world lost a legend today,” the SAG-AFTRA union said in a statement, noting that Turner was a member of the union since 1961. “Tina Turner was a genre-defying powerhouse singer, dancer, actress and author who rightfully earned the title of rock ‘n roll queen. She broke down barriers for generations of artists to come.”
