Mourning for Tina Turner
The Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s greatest hits
This is how her fans loved her: rock star Tina Turner live on stage.
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Tina Turner has died at the age of 83. A look back at her world career.
Wild, tousled mane, skintight leather minis, distinctive grating voice and a stunning stage presence… Tina Turner (1939-2023) was the female rock superstar of her time. With the songs “What’s Love Got to Do with It” (1984) and “Private Dancer” (1984) she not only won some of her eight Grammys and various other awards. She also wrote the theme songs “We Don’t Need Another Hero” (1985) and “Goldeneye” (1995) for the films “Mad Max – Beyond the Thunderdome” (1985) and “James Bond 007: Goldeneye” (1995). Film and Music History.
Tina Turner died on May 24 at the age of 83. On the current occasion, a look back at their greatest successes.
Anna Mae Bullock from Nutbush
Little Anna Mae Bullock, who was born on November 26, 1939 in Nutbush, Tennessee, as the second daughter of married couple Floyd and Zelma Bullock, had a not always easy path ahead of her. After her parents separated, she first lived with her grandmother and after her death back with her mother and sister Alline in St. Louis, Missouri. There she fell in love with the musician Raymond Hill (1933-1996), with whom the then 18-year-old Anna Mae Bullock had her first son, Raymond Turner (1958-2018).
During the same year, she met musician Ike Turner (1931-2007), eight years her senior, at the club where her sister worked. The beginning of a successful professional and painful private relationship… The biopic “Tina – What’s Love Got to Do with It?” portrayed just how fatal this relationship was. (1993) later impressively. Leading actress Angela Bassett (64) and Ike actor Laurence Fishburne (61) were nominated for an Oscar in 1994, the song “I Don’t Wanna Fight” (1993) for a Grammy.
The fatal duo
Ike and Anna Mae had a son together in October 1960, actor Ronald “Ronnie” Turner (1960-2022). They married in 1962 in Tijuana, Mexico. He adopted their sons and brought two more into the marriage: Ike Jr. (65) and Michael (64). In the year their child was born, the musician renamed his singer Tina. From then on they made their careers as Ike & Tina Turner. They won a Grammy in 1972 for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group with their cover version of John Fogerty’s “Proud Mary” (1970). Privately, however, things went downhill.
Superstar career after marriage
After marital problems became more serious, Tina Turner left her husband in 1976. She filed for divorce and was officially no longer his wife two years later. The separation had significant consequences for finances and career, because she renounced all rights to the common music in his favor. She only wanted to keep her stage name, Tina Turner. The reward for this bold step was an unprecedented solo career.
After a few teething problems, she made her big breakthrough with the album “Private Dancer” (1984). At the next Grammys, Tina Turner won three awards, including song of the year (“What’s Love Got to Do with It”). 1985 also saw the release of the Mel Gibson film “Mad Max – Beyond Thunderdome”, for which she not only contributed the title song “We Don’t Need Another Hero”, but in which she also starred.
Many awards and successes later, one of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time” (Rolling Stone magazine) was honored in 1995 with the great honor of singing the title track to “James Bond 007: Goldeneye” (1995) “Goldeneye”.
Consistent farewell from the stage
With a concert in Sheffield on May 5, 2009, Tina Turner ended her stage career at the age of 69 – and, unlike many of her colleagues, managed to live her life away from the limelight. In 2013, Tina Turner married her German partner, the former music manager Erwin Bach (67), with whom she had lived in Switzerland since 1994. The rock icon’s second marriage lasted until her death.