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Tina Turner: an immense talent with a voice and back catalogue that unites disparate music lovers

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/freya-jarman-535397">Freya Jarman</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-liverpool-1198">University of Liverpool</a></em></p> <p>On a few rare occasions (often at the end of a night), I’ve confided to my friends that Tina Turner was one of my biggest celebrity crushes. The revelation has usually been met with some surprise, and not unreasonably. Born in 1939, Tina was older than my mother and nearly 40 years older than me.</p> <p>But to me, she was a complete goddess from the moment I first encountered her. I vividly recall a white button-down shirt and figure-hugging blue jeans (probably the Foreign Affair tour of 1990) and an awakening of teenage desire.</p> <p>Turner has died aged 83. Reflecting now on her 50-year-long career, I can see the threads that made her the perfect icon for the young queer feminist I was in the early 90s. She was a strong and resilient woman who escaped the control of abusive men and went on to forge a stronger solo career afterwards.</p> <p>But her music also pushed boundaries of genre in ways that start to defy categories of gender, race and age, thereby changing the way female performers could be thought of.</p> <p>In 1967, Turner was both the first Black artist and woman to appear on the cover of <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-pictures/tina-turner-rolling-stone-covers-916255/">Rolling Stone</a>. She remains the only Black woman to have been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2013, she became the oldest person (at 73) to appear on the <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2013/03/tina-turner-oldest-vogue-cover-model.html">cover of Vogue</a>.</p> <p>Vocally, Turner was raised in the church, Spring Hill Baptist Church in Nutbush, specifically. However, her voice was different from the others she came up alongside.</p> <p>Unlike Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin or Diana Ross, Turner’s voice had a grit and a rasp, qualities that always added an unexpected edge to her early work. It was also a sound that enabled her to move beyond soul and blues in her solo career.</p> <h2>A genre-fluid singer</h2> <p>Turner’s first solo album (in 1974) was country, replete with steel guitars and talk of the bayou. The very next year, she performed the role of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rJGX8uqoL8&amp;ab_channel=StevenPrestidge">Acid Queen</a> in film of The Who’s psychedelic operetta fantasy, Tommy. The role gave its name to an album featuring several notable rock covers by Turner, such as Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love.</p> <p>Famously, she escaped from an abusive relationship with her singing partner Ike Turner, securing the rights to her stage name to her comparative financial detriment in their divorce settlement in 1978. Ike exerted his dominance in plain sight, slipping verbal threats of violence into <a href="https://youtu.be/FqdhfwUd2lk?t=88">a live performance of I’ve Been Loving You Too Long</a> at a concert in Ghana (1971).</p> <p>From the early 1980s, Turner made what has repeatedly been described as one of the most remarkable career comebacks of the century. The chart success of her cover of Al Green’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rFB4nj_GRc&amp;ab_channel=TinaTurner">Let’s Stay Together</a> (1983) came from left of field and the ensuing album, Private Dancer (1984) went platinum five times.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d4QnalIHlVc?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Private Dancer represented another musical turn, this time towards the electro-synth pop world inhabited by Heaven 17, whose Rupert Hine and Martyn Ware produced several of the songs.</p> <p>The title song of the album exemplifies the narrative of Tina as a feminist powerhouse. Even 40 years on, the idea of a woman in her mid-40s singing a pop song about sex work is somewhat surprising.</p> <p>It’s not just an allusion to sex work (like, for instance, Blondie’s Call Me). And it’s far from the many songs about female sex workers written and performed by men (take Roxanne by The Police or Killer Queen by Queen for instance).</p> <p>Private Dancer is an explicit and unambiguous declaration of female desire and power in the first person. If anyone were in any doubt that Beyoncé owes a great deal to Turner’s trailblazing, her video for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ12_E5R3qc&amp;ab_channel=Beyonc%C3%A9VEVO">Partition</a> is surely evidence, being a direct descendant of Private Dancer with its cage-dancing sex show.</p> <p>Over her 14 solo albums, Turner developed a remarkable capacity to push through boundaries and exist between categories. Along the way, she also changed how a woman in popular music was positioned for consumption. This magic made her fans in all sorts of music listeners.</p> <h2>A musical uniter</h2> <p>Turner’s musical agility allowed her to inhabit contradictory musical spaces simultaneously. For instance, there is the Tina Turner who makes regular appearances on the setlists of DJs at retro club nights, inspiring inebriated patrons to shake their tail feathers in unison.</p> <p>There is an exuberance here that crosses times and identities to bring a crowd together in the ritual of “rolling on the river”. It’s a song that also invites all shades of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLUJz5xrdds&amp;ab_channel=ThatRPDRChannel">drag performance to honour it</a>.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GC5E8ie2pdM?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Then there is the Tina Turner who appears – frequently as the only woman, and perhaps uniquely as a Black woman – on compilations targeted at a predominantly male audience.</p> <p>The world of “dad rock” and “driving anthems” is a stronghold of largely white, male baby boomers. Think Robert Palmer, ZZ Top, The Jam and Whitesnake. There alongside them is Turner with songs like The Best, We Don’t Need Another Hero and Nutbush City Limits.</p> <p>Tina Turner’s capacity to transcend these borders of genre, and with them, borders of race, age, and gender, is what made her the absolute legend that she was. To me, it will also always represent a hybridity that calls to my identity as a queer feminist.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206526/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/freya-jarman-535397">Freya Jarman</a>, Reader in the Department of Music, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-liverpool-1198">University of Liverpool</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/tina-turner-an-immense-talent-with-a-voice-and-back-catalogue-that-unites-disparate-music-lovers-206526">original article</a>.</em></p>

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Tina Turner’s 12 daily habits that helped her live 83 inspired years

<h3>How did Tina Turner live such a long and successful life?</h3> <p>If you’ve ever seen Tina Turner perform live – which she last did on New Year’s Eve 2022 – you might have thought the music icon seemed ageless… immortal, even. From her powerhouse voice to electrifying stage presence and energetic dancing, you would never have known she was 83 years old. But earlier this year she became ill, with some sources reporting intestinal cancer and a stroke. On Tuesday, May 23, 2023, Tina Turner’s family announced she died peacefully at her home in Switzerland.</p> <p>Born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939, in Nutbush, Tennessee, Turner never had an easy life. In the 1960s and ’70s, she rose to fame as the lead singer of the Ike &amp; Tina Turner Revue, performing with her then-husband, before launching her decades-long solo career. Tina Turner was known just as much for her personal struggles and shared her experiences openly with her fans, earning a reputation for female strength.</p> <p>So how did Tina Turner live such a long and successful life despite her many struggles? The answer is that good genetics and chance likely played their roles, but a lot of the credit goes to her healthy lifestyle. Tina Turner had some famously great health habits and a resilient attitude. Ready to take notes from the Queen of Rock-n-roll? Following her lead won’t make you a famous singer (but who are we to crush your dreams?), but it will definitely make you happier and healthier.</p> <h4>1. Tina Turner maintained a spiritual practice</h4> <p>Turner grew up Southern Baptist but as her spirituality evolved, she eventually turned to Buddhism, crediting it for giving her a purpose in life – one of the best things you can do for your health and happiness. “After I began practicing Buddhism, I realised that my hardships could give me a mission – a purpose. I saw that by overcoming my obstacles, I could build indestructible happiness and inspire others to do the same,” she said in an interview with the Harvard Business Review. “I credit my spiritual practice with all the positive transformations – from the smallest to the largest – I’ve had in my career and personal life.”</p> <h4>2. Getting 10 (!) hours of sleep each night</h4> <p>Thanks to her rigorous touring schedule, Turner’s internal clock was set to ET (entertainment time, that is). “I am late to bed and late to rise, a habit of years of rock and roll touring,” she told Vogue in an interview. But, she admitted, she still prioritised getting enough shut-eye – “a good night’s sleep is the key,” she said, adding she aimed for about 10 hours each night.</p> <h4>3. Tina Turner meditated daily</h4> <p>Turner meditated daily and chanted a mantra when she felt anxious or stressed. One of her go-to mantras was change poison into medicine, to remind her to reframe negative situations or roadblocks and transform or remove them through positivity. “This allowed my true self to come out, and I became cheerful, confident, and resilient,” she wrote in her book Happiness Becomes You. “My approach to life and work became calmer and more thoughtful, and my reactions were more tempered.”</p> <h4>4. Tina Turner Loved to move</h4> <p>The key to making exercise a regular habit is to find something you genuinely love doing. For Turner that was clearly dancing, something she did with unabashed joy on stage. When Vogue asked what her exercise routine was to shape her famous legs, she replied, “Dancing! Any excuse and I will dance anywhere.”</p> <h4>5. Tina Turner had a strong a creative outlet</h4> <p>Songwriting was one of Turner’s greatest gifts, alongside her singing. But it wasn’t something that came easily to her and she dedicated countless hours to writing and composing. This creative outlet not only gave her a healthy outlet for her feelings but doing creative things, like writing, singing and painting have huge cognitive benefits. Not sure where to start to be creative? Write what you know: “I started with the topic I knew best: my own life. I wrote about my hometown of Nutbush in what became the 1973 hit ‘Nutbush City Limits,’” she said.</p> <h4>6. Tina Turner had a sensible diet</h4> <p>From Thai food to vegetarian to local delicacies, Turner was photographed enjoying a wide variety of delicious foods. So how did she keep her healthy muscular physique? Not by starving! “I knew a very long time ago that I always wanted to be as slender and attractive as I possibly could be,” she said in an interview with the Daily Mail. “But I hate all that calorie counting. I eat what I want and then if my weight starts to go up, I cut back.”</p> <h4>7. Tina Turner made time for friends and family</h4> <p>Fame can be isolating, as Turner found out when her ex-husband Ike used it as a way to abuse her. But as she got older Turner made it a point to spend time with her loved ones, including her four children. She also made friends wherever she went, recognising the joy and benefits of having a large social circle. “I do my best to see people as individuals and emphasise common ground,” she said.</p> <h4>8. Following a self-care routine</h4> <p>“I am blessed to have very good skin,” Turner told Vogue. But it wasn’t all genetics. No matter how tired she was after a show, she made it a point to practice self-care by washing off her makeup and using a deep moisture cream before bed. Clearly it worked: Tina Turner had glowy, supple skin well into her eighties!</p> <h4>9. Tina Turner exited a toxic relationship</h4> <p>Not all relationships are worth saving, especially those that are toxic or abusive. Staying with people who hurt you takes a terrible toll on your mental and physical health. Tina Turner’s escape from her abusive marriage was very public but, like many victims of domestic violence, it took the singer a long time to figure out how to leave. “For a long time I felt like I was stuck, with no way out of the unhealthy situation I was in,” she said. “Once I could see myself clearly, I began to change, opening the way to confidence and courage. It took a few years, but finally I was able to stand up for my life and start anew.” Not only did she save her own life, but she provided a powerful inspiration to other women in similar situations.</p> <h4>10. Tina Turner spent time outdoors</h4> <p>After retiring from the public eye, Turner and her husband Erwin moved their family to Switzerland – largely for the beautiful and relaxing scenery. “I love spending days in Switzerland with my husband driving into the mountains,” she said. “It’s relaxing and very spiritual to be surrounded by the lake and beautiful nature.”</p> <p>Are you a nature lover too? Being outdoors has powerful health benefits and is linked with a longer life in the research. It’s not just the exercise that boosts your health. Science has shown that simply being outdoors, in nature, lowers stress hormones, slows your heart rate, reduces blood pressure, and increases feelings of safety and well-being, according to a study on ‘forest bathing.’</p> <h4>11. Tina Turner embraced ageing</h4> <p>Ageing in showbiz is seen as one of the worst things a woman can do (as if she has any other option!), and many stars fight it as long as they can with surgery, drugs and photoshop. Not Tina Turner, though! “Of course, I’ve aged a bit in the face, but not enough to worry about it. I have common sense enough to know that if I’m [ageing], something has to happen,” she said to the Daily Mail. “As time passes, a woman goes through changes with her body, her hormones and all of that, but I don’t have a problem with that. So I am fortunate.” This happy attitude toward ageing is revolutionary and sets a great example, especially because how we talk about ageing has a powerful effect on our health and happiness as we get older.</p> <h4>12. Tina Turner chose happiness every day</h4> <p>Experts agree: happiness is a choice, not a circumstance. No one knew this better than Tina Turner. After suffering a stroke and cancer, she shared, “My challenges can either make me a better version of myself or break me apart, and I have a choice as to which it will be. It’s so important to remember that you do have a choice, even when it feels as if you don’t. I choose to be hopeful and to honour each experience in my life, negative and positive, as a chance to increase my wisdom, courage, and compassion.”</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p> <p><em>Written by: </em><em>Charlotte Hilton Andersen</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/articles/backtips-advice/tina-turners-12-daily-habits-that-helped-her-live-83-inspired-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>. </em></p>

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"This made me cry": Royal guard's stunning Tina Turner tribute

<p dir="ltr">The late Tina Turner has been remembered in a special musical tribute outside Buckingham Palace, with the Band of Welsh Guards putting on their own performance of her 1989 hit song, ‘The Best’.</p> <p dir="ltr">The captivating moment took place during the changing of the guard - a daily 45-minute ceremony in which The King’s Guard passes responsibility for protecting Buckingham Palace, as well as St James’ Palace, to the New Guard. </p> <p dir="ltr">The Welsh Guards were joined by the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards Corps of Drums, and the entire performance reportedly went ahead with King Charles III’s full permission.</p> <p dir="ltr">Footage was quickly shared across social media, and fans of the royals and music superstar alike were delighted with what they saw. </p> <p dir="ltr">“This made me cry. So wonderful!!!” one wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Oh, that got me!  What a fantastic thing to do,” another agreed. </p> <p dir="ltr">“A lovely tribute to Tina by the Welsh Guards! I felt happy and sad listening to it!  Thank you for all the songs, Tina,” one said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Brilliant … Bet a young Tina never would have thought her songs would be played by Guardsmen at Buckingham palace,” someone mused. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Perfect tribute for the Queen of Rock and Roll,” another declared, “she will be missed, there will only be One Tina Turner.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Simply the best! ❤️ </p> <p>At Buckingham Palace, the British Army’s <a href="https://twitter.com/WelshGuardsBand?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WelshGuardsBand</a> played a special tribute to 🇺🇸 music icon Tina Turner during the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChangingOfTheGuard?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChangingOfTheGuard</a> 💂‍♂️</p> <p><a href="https://t.co/LOSrsMRYMA">pic.twitter.com/LOSrsMRYMA</a></p> <p>— British Embassy Washington (@UKinUSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/UKinUSA/status/1662152963924557835?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The tribute came less than one week after <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/tributes-flow-for-tina-turner">Tina had passed away at 83</a>, and on the back of touching words from friends, family, and fans across the globe.</p> <p dir="ltr">And the chosen song, ‘The Best’, holds a special place in the hearts of the royals - particularly for Charles’ eldest son, Prince William. </p> <p dir="ltr">In 2021, William had spoken to Apple’s Time to Walk podcast that his mother - the late Princess Diana - used to play music for himself and his brother, Harry, “to kind of while away the anxiety of going back to [boarding] school.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The song that “stuck” with him? Tina Turner’s ‘The Best’. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Because sitting in the backseat, singing away, it felt like a real family moment,” he said. “And my mother, she'd be driving along, singing at the top of her voice … And when I listen to it now, it takes me back to those car rides, and brings back lots of memories of my mother.”</p> <p dir="ltr">It was something - along with the royal tribute - that fans speculated would have meant a lot to Tina, a “resilient” woman who had <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/rare-for-a-mother-to-say-that-tina-turner-s-heartbreaking-fear-revealed">experienced the heartache of losing loved ones</a>, too.</p> <p dir="ltr">Tina’s life had had its joy as well, from her music to her <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/tina-turner-s-husband-s-loving-act-during-her-darkest-hours">devoted husband</a>, and although the final years of her life had seen the singer engaged in a fierce battle with her own declining health, she still dedicated her time to doing what she did best - though <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/music/rare-photos-of-tina-turner-s-final-years">her appearances grew rarer as time went on</a>. </p> <p dir="ltr">And it was all of this that her fans were happy to celebrate along with the guards, in the best way anyone knew how - through music. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Twitter, Getty</em></p>

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“Rare for a mother to say that”: Tina Turner’s heartbreaking fear revealed

<p dir="ltr">Tina Turner’s daughter-in-law, Afida, has revealed the star’s deepest fear for her children, and her agonising health struggles prior to her <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/tributes-flow-for-tina-turner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">death</a>, in an emotional interview with the <em>Daily Mail</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Afida revealed that the <em>Proud Mary</em> singer, who outlived two of her four children, grieved for them every day and was “extremely sick” by the time her second son, Craig, passed away.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If you lose a child, or a loved one, you are going to cry every morning and every night,” Afida said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Craig, had passed away at the age of 59 by suicide in 2018. His brother Ronnie passed away just four years later at the age of 62 from colon cancer.</p> <p dir="ltr">Afida, who is Ronnie’s widow, shared that the only comfort was that Tina was finally reunited with her beloved sons.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They never had time to spend together and now all three of them are together.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Afida also revealed Tina’s deepest fear for her son Ronnie, and how she was worried he could “turn out like” his abusive father, Ike Turner</p> <p dir="ltr">“[Tina] sometimes told me, ‘You don’t want to stay with him. He is going to be like his father’. It is pretty rare for a mother to say that,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“At first, he was kind of like his father, but after that he was going very well,” she added\, revealing that she’d given Ronnie an ultimatum to get his act together.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He made a very big effort to keep me. In the beginning it was very hard because I was not willing to stay with him,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Afida also opened up about the star’s death and revealed that despite Tina’s health struggles, the singer was extremely strong and resilient, which made her family think that she would live forever.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CsoyspoMrqy/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CsoyspoMrqy/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Afida Turner (@afida_turner)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“She was ill for a long time, but she was extraordinarily strong too,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She was fighting for her life from 2017 until now. We knew how sick she was, but she was doing so well that this was not expected,” Afida added.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

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Empowerment, individual strength and the many facets of love: why I fell for Tina Turner

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/leigh-carriage-456522">Leigh Carriage</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/southern-cross-university-1160">Southern Cross University</a></em></p> <p>For singers – amateur and professional alike – the name Tina Turner evokes instant reverence: Turner is a singer’s singer and perhaps the performer’s performer.</p> <p>A highly successful songwriter, the consummate dancer and fittingly ranked as one of the <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-artists-147446/">100 Greatest Artists of All Time</a> by Rolling Stone magazine, Turner was the ultimate entertainer.</p> <p>Upon hearing of her death, I was deeply saddened. I immediately recalled the intoxicating power and timbre of her voice, her mesmerising energy and her commanding performances.</p> <p>I started singing sections of songs such as <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2T5_seDNZE">Proud Mary</a></em>, <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9Lehkou2Do">River Deep Mountain High</a></em> and of course iconic original songs, such as <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I07249JX8w4">Nutbush City Limits</a></em>. This was an intimate, sentimental, nostalgic and danceable song celebrating Turner’s roots growing up in the small town of Nutbush, Tennessee.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Tina Turner was raw. She was powerful. She was unstoppable. And she was unapologetically herself—speaking and singing her truth through joy and pain; triumph and tragedy. Today we join fans around the world in honoring the Queen of Rock and Roll, and a star whose light will never… <a href="https://t.co/qXl2quZz1c">pic.twitter.com/qXl2quZz1c</a></p> <p>— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1661514993383120896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <h2>Fierce hard work</h2> <p>My first encounter with Turner’s brilliance and might was hearing her hits of the mid-1980s, with songs like Graham Lyle’s <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGpFcHTxjZs">What’s Love Got To Do With It</a></em>, Al Green’s <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rFB4nj_GRc">Let’s Stay Together</a></em> and – love it or hate it – the powerful rock ballad <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcm-tOGiva0">We Don’t Need Another Hero</a></em>, the theme song to <em>Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.</em></p> <p>Once introduced, I immersed myself in her extensive back catalogue, soaking in her early 1960s soul, funk and emerging rock tracks.</p> <p>Today, I flashed back to memories of the physical energy and technical focus and practice it took just attempting to sing any Turner songs in my 20s.</p> <p>The degree of difficulty required to perform as Turner did cannot be understated.</p> <p>To sing with such consistency in such high registers, belting out song after song live with impeccable pitch, breath control, fitness, articulation and rhythmic precision is one thing. To do all of this while dancing with intense pace to highly choreographed routines throughout each show is on a whole other level.</p> <p>Her performance practice exemplified fierce hard work – with an immense energy and vitality in live performance.</p> <p>Try singing any of her songs at a Karaoke bar. Very quickly you gain some insight into the technical demands her songs require.</p> <h2>Making songs her own</h2> <p>For every singer, selecting a repertoire to cover is an ongoing quest.</p> <p>In a sea of the world’s great songs, Turner selected songs she could make her own. She remodelled every song she sang - realigning them so much that we now think of them as hers first.</p> <p>There are so many examples. My favourites are Turner’s formidable versions of <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIPoC6JlP38">I Can’t Stand the Rain</a> </em>(originally by Ann Peebles), <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC5E8ie2pdM">The Best</a></em> (Bonnie Tyler) and <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4QnalIHlVc">Private Dancer</a></em> (Mark Knopfler).</p> <p>A great deal of the songs Turner was known for through the 1960s were covers. Turner’s forceful and expressive vocal delivery gave new life to these songs, realigning them with her uniquely identifiable sound and choice of vocal register, her phrasing choices and her punctuated rhythmic delivery.</p> <p>Turner is perhaps less known as a songwriter, but her diverse songwriting demonstrated her skill and thoughtful, well-crafted lyrics. On her 1972 album Feel Good, nine of the ten songs were written by Turner. From 1973 to 1977, Turner composed all the songs on each album.</p> <p>One of my favourites of her original songs is the power ballad <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l__zi3OtrQ0">Be Tender With Me Baby</a></em>. It speaks of a request for understanding, of her loneliness and vulnerability, sung with Turner’s intensity.</p> <p>Across her original songs and covers, Turner’s repertoire spoke of empowerment, individual strength and the many facets of love. Beyond performing, Turner represented inner strength, spiritual depth and resilience against adversity.</p> <p>In 1996, when Turner was 57, she recorded her ninth studio album, <em>Wildest Dreams</em>.</p> <p>One track, <em>Something Beautiful Remains</em>, may not be as familiar as many of her other hits, but it is the song I have kept returning to today. In the chorus, Turner’s lyrics are sadly perfectly fitting:</p> <blockquote> <p>For every life that fades<br />Something beautiful remains.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206395/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> </blockquote> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1uXLFtXpeFU?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/leigh-carriage-456522">Leigh Carriage</a>, Senior Lecturer in Music, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/southern-cross-university-1160">Southern Cross University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/empowerment-individual-strength-and-the-many-facets-of-love-why-i-fell-for-tina-turner-206395">original article</a>.</em></p>

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Tina Turner's husband's loving act during her darkest hours

<p dir="ltr">When Tina Turner met Erwin Bach in 1985, it was love at first sight. </p> <p dir="ltr">The lasting kind, too, with the pair going on to enjoy nearly 40 years together - and 9 years of marriage after tying the knot in July 2013 - before <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/tributes-flow-for-tina-turner">the legendary singer passed away at 83</a>, in the home the couple shared. </p> <p dir="ltr">Tina had been battling various health issues in the years leading up to her passing, and had faced a particularly dark spot back in 2017 - but Erwin had been determined to help.</p> <p dir="ltr">The story of their relationship - and Erwin’s heartfelt gift - was covered in Tina’s 2018 memoir, with the star sharing that she had first met her future husband after landing at Cologne’s airport ahead of her Private Dancer tour. </p> <p dir="ltr">Bach, who at the time was the executive for EMI, had been there to collect her, along with a gift - a Mercedes Jeep. But as Tina noted, it wasn’t the car that caught her eye, but instead Bach. </p> <p dir="ltr">“My heart suddenly started to beat ‘BOOM, BOOM, BOOM’,” she recalled. “My hands were ice cold.</p> <p dir="ltr">“‘So this is what they call love at first sight’, I thought. ‘Oh my God, I am not ready for this’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">It was a far cry from Tina’s first marriage to her abusive first husband, Ike Turner, and the couple happily settled into their quiet life in Zurich. </p> <p dir="ltr">However, things took a challenging turn when - after 9 years of marriage - Tina’s health declined. </p> <p dir="ltr">As she shared in her autobiography, “I couldn’t eat. I was surviving but not living,” she shared in her autobiography.  I began to think about death.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If my kidneys were going, and it was time for me to die, I could accept that. It was okay. When it’s time, it’s really time.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Things became so difficult that she even looked into assisted suicide, before Bach stepped in to do what he could for his wife, telling Tina that he “didn’t want another woman, or another life”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Then he shocked me,” she said. “He said he wanted to give me one of his kidneys.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The next step was to find out if they were a match - with tests confirming that they could go ahead with the donation - and the pair underwent surgery in 2017. </p> <p dir="ltr">It was, thankfully, a success, though Tina’s favourite part of it all was seeing “when Erwin came rolling into my room in his wheelchair.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He somehow managed to look good, even handsome, as he greeted me with an energetic ‘hi, darling!’ </p> <p dir="ltr">“I was so emotional - happy, overwhelmed, and relieved that we’d come through this alive.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

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Rare photos of Tina Turner’s final years

<p dir="ltr">Music legend Tina Turner <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/tributes-flow-for-tina-turner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed away</a> at the age of 83 after a long battle with illness.</p> <p dir="ltr">The singer mostly stayed out of the spotlight after she retired in 2009, and hadn’t been seen in public for almost four years prior to her death.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her final public appearance was in November 2019, where she travelled to New York to attend the Broadway premiere of the musical based on her life, <em>Tina - The Tina Turner Musical</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Turner had spent most of her final years in her Switzerland home, with her longtime partner German music executive, Erwin Bach.</p> <p dir="ltr">Although the Queen of Rock ‘n Roll was rarely seen in public, her social media account would occasionally share a glimpse into the singer's condition.</p> <p dir="ltr">In March 2021 fans got a rare photo of present-day Turner as she celebrated the release of her documentary, <em>Tina</em>, where she looked frail but in good spirit as she posed in front of the TV.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I am so excited to share this movie with you – seeing the concert scenes made me relive some of the proudest moments of my life. I simply had to sing along and dance around my living room," she captioned the post.</p> <p dir="ltr">In June 2021, the star shared a photo of herself in what appeared to be the garden of her Swiss manor.</p> <p dir="ltr">In October 2021 the singer posed by a piano as she celebrated her long-overdue induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.</p> <p dir="ltr">Although she retired from the music industry, the singer released a self-help memoir in 2020 titled, <em>Happiness Becomes You</em>.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram / Getty</em></p>

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Tributes flow for Tina Turner

<p>Tributes from fans and celebs alike are flowing in for rock legend Tina Turner, who has died aged 83.</p> <p>Turner passed away at her home in the town of Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland, following years of suffering health issues including cancer, a stroke and kidney failure.</p> <p>Amongst the star-studded tributes, actress Angela Bassett, who played Turner in the film <em>What's Love Got to Do With It</em>, penned a sweet message, with the late David Bowie's estate paying homage as well.</p> <p>The official social media accounts of the late Bowie, who died 2016, shared a lengthy statement pointing out how Bowie will now "see [Turner] in the sky tonight”.</p> <p>"Sad to hear of the passing of Tina Turner, the legendary singer whose career dated back to 1960,” Bowie’s statement began.</p> <p>"Bowie fans will be aware of the duet she recorded with David for the title track of 1984's <em>Tonight</em> LP.”</p> <p>"The Bowie/Iggy Pop penned track was released as a single later that year. On 23rd March, 1985, at a Tina Turner concert at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham in the UK, Bowie performed the song live with Tina along with a section of the Chris Montez hit, Let's Dance, segueing into Bowie's song of the same name. This live duet of Tonight was released as a single becoming a #1 hit in the Netherlands," the statement continued.</p> <p>"We'll finish with some words Tina said to The Guardian newspaper in 2020 that despite having some serious health problems, the last 10 years of her life had embodied her ideal vision of happiness.</p> <p>"'True and lasting happiness comes from having an unshakeable, hopeful spirit that can shine, no matter what,' she said. 'That's what I've achieved, and it is my greatest wish to help others become truly happy as well.’"</p> <p>In a statement obtained by <em>The Hollywood Reporter,</em> Basset, said, "How do we say farewell to a woman who owned her pain and trauma and used it as a means to help change the world?"</p> <p><em>The Black Panther</em> actress, who starred opposite with Laurence Laurence Fishburne's Ike Turner in the film, continued, "Through her courage in telling her story, her commitment to stay the course in her life, no matter the sacrifice, and her determination to carve out a space in rock and roll for herself and for others who look like her, Tina Turner showed others who lived in fear what a beautiful future filled with love, compassion and freedom should look like.”</p> <p>"Her final words to me – for me were, 'You never mimicked me. Instead, you reached deep into your soul, found your inner Tina, and showed her to the world.' I shall hold these words close to my heart for the rest of my days. I am honoured to have known Tina Turner," she said.</p> <p>"I am humbled to have helped show her to the world," Bassett continued.</p> <p>"So on today, while we mourn the loss of this iconic voice and presence, she gave us more than we could have ever asked. She gave us her whole self. And Tina Turner is a gift that will always be 'simply the best.' Angels, sing thee to thy rest … Queen.”</p> <p>Diana Ross took to Twitter to pay tribute to the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, writing, "Shocked. Saddened. Sending condolences to Tina Turner's family and loved ones. ”</p> <p>Magic Johnson also shared a photo taken with Turner on Twitter.</p> <p>"Rest in peace to one of my favorite artists of all time, the legendary queen of rock n' roll Tina Turner," he wrote.</p> <p>"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 [sic] worth."</p> <p>Actress Viola David took to Instagram, sharing an image of the late star, alongside the caption, "Iconic. Beautiful. Brilliant. A Survivor. Our first symbol of excellence and unbridled ownership of sexuality!! You were my childhood. Oh man!!! God is getting an angel today!!! Rest well Queen Tina Turner. We will bask in your legacy!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️”</p> <p>Mick Jagger wrote on Twitter, "I'm so saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend Tina Turner. 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.”</p> <p>"We have lost one of the [world's] most exciting and electric performers. A total legend on record and on stage. She was untouchable,” Sir Elton John wrote on Instagram. "Condolences to Erwin and her family.</p> <p>"What a woman, what a life, what a warrior!!!” Singer Alicia Keys wrote on Instagram.</p> <p>"The day I met you Ms Tina, I couldn't believe I was standing in the presence of your greatness!! (Thanks to my big sis [Oprah]!!!)," Keys continued her caption.</p> <p>"I got to celebrate and thank you for all the love you've poured out around u. The songs you sang gave us courage to step out and be our full selves.</p> <p>"You are a fierce force as a woman and a performer! All of these things have been beacons of light for not only me, but all the people around the world finding ourselves and our fearlessness, through our vulnerability!!</p> <p>"Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts beautiful big sister! Rest well! We love and adore you infinitely!”</p> <p>Giorgio Armani also shared a statement on his fashion house’s official Twitter account.</p> <p>"I heard of the passing of Tina Turner with sadness and disbelief: with her incredible energy she seemed eternal. Her music certainly is," his statement began.</p> <p>"I will miss a great friend, whom I have also had the pleasure to dress many times. In life, she was like she was on stage – pure energy. I am deeply saddened.”</p> <p>Author Stephen King wrote on Twitter, "Tina Turner: Simply the best. ”</p> <p>Actor Josh Gad shared on Twitter, "This one hits way too hard. #riptinaturner 🙏🙏🙏💔”</p> <p>Sylvester Stallone wrote a short message alongside a photo with Turner on Instagram, "see you forever Tina Turner ❤️ #tinaturner #slystallone.”</p> <p>Director Paul Feig took to Twitter, writing, "Ugh. This is so sad. She was someone who seemed like we'd have her forever. What a huge huge loss. There will never be another like her. Rest in power, Tina."</p> <p>"RIP Tina Turner. Simply, the best," Piers Morgan wrote on Twitter.</p> <p>Musician Bryan Adams recalled the time he and Turner spent working together in his tribute, shared in a since-deleted Twitter post.</p> <p>"My condolences to Erwin and Tina's family," he wrote. "I'll be forever grateful for the time we spent together on tour, in the studio and as friends.”</p> <p>"Thank you for being the inspiration to millions of people around the world for speaking your truth and giving us your gift of your voice," Adams continued.</p> <p>"It's Only Love and that's all," he concluded, referencing the single the pair released in 1985.</p> <p>Bette Midler posted a heartfelt tribute to her Twitter account.</p> <p>"Our beloved #TinaTurner has died. From #Nutbush to the top, she was an absolutely brilliant performer and inspiration to us all,” she wrote.</p> <p>"May flights of angels sing her to her rest, but if I know Tina, she is singing lead. ”</p> <p>Singer-songwriter Ciara called Turner a "QUEEN, LEGEND, ICON” in a comment underneath an Instagram post, she followed with a tweet.</p> <p>"Heaven has gained an angel," she wrote. "Rest in Paradise Tina Turner. Thank you for the inspiration you gave us all. ”</p> <p>Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood labelled Turner as "a force of nature and a legend” in his tribute.</p> <p>His Tweet concluded, ”Rest in peace, Tina Turner.”</p> <p>"A true legend has passed," actor George Takei wrote on Twitter.</p> <p>"Tina Turner has died at the age of 83. She was our <em>River Deep</em> and our <em>Mountain High</em>, the <em>Private Dancer</em> in our hearts.”</p> <p>"She showed us that love really does has everything to do with it, and that we really did need another hero," he continued. "And she was it. Rest now, Proud Mary. Raise your voice high in the heavens.”</p> <p>Founding member of Black Sabbath, Geezer Butler, also penned a heart-warming tribute for the star on Twitter.</p> <p>"Sad to hear of Tina Turner passing," he wrote. "I saw her on her first major tour, supporting The Rolling Stones at Birmingham Odeon on 1966 & became an instant fan. RIP .”</p> <p>While Actress Sarah Jessica Parker wrote on Instagram, "Simply the best. RIP Ms. Turner. I loved and love you. Thank you. Godspeed. X, SJ.”</p> <p>"Legends never die. They live on in our collective psyche forever. Thank you for enriching our lives, Tina. Rest in power… #tinaturner 1939-2023," actor Cary Elwes wrote on Twitter.</p> <p>Andy Cohen paid homage to the star on Twitter, writing, "SIMPLY THE BEST BEST BEST. WE LOVE YOU TINA ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️”</p> <p>Even NASA shared a tribute for the beloved star.</p> <p>"Simply the best. Music legend Tina Turner sparkled across the stage and into millions of hearts as the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll," NASA wrote on Twitter, alongside a photo of the stars in the sky.</p> <p>"Her legacy will forever live among the stars."</p> <p><em>Image credit: Twitter</em></p>

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"Rest in paradise": Tina Turner's son passes away

<p>Tina Turner's son has died at age 62 after taking his own life. </p> <p>Ronnie Turner, the second-born son of the legendary singer, died on Thursday morning after police were called to his home in Los Angeles, according to reports from TMZ.</p> <p>Despite the best efforts of emergency services to revive him, Ronnie died at the scene. </p> <p>Ronnie's wife Afida announced the devastating news in an emotional post on Instagram.</p> <p>"My god Ronnie Turner a true angel, huge soul highly spiritual, my husband, my best friend my baby..." she captioned a series of photos. </p> <p>Tina Turner also shared a tribute to her late son in a short post on social media, alongside a black-and-white photo of herself grieving.</p> <p>"Ronnie, you left the world far too early," she wrote. "In sorrow I close my eyes and think of you, my beloved son."</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl9Y5HtDRav/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl9Y5HtDRav/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Tina Turner (@tinaturner)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Ronnie had battled several health issues in the past, including cancer.</p> <p>This is the second time in four years Turner's family has been rocked by tragedy, after the singer's eldest son Craig died by suicide at age 59 in 2018.</p> <p>"I think Craig was lonely, that's what I think really got him more than anything else," Turner said in an interview with Gayle King in 2019.</p> <p>"I have pictures all around of him smiling, and I think I'm sensing that he's in a good place. I really do."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

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Kath & Kim to return for 20th anniversary reboot

<p dir="ltr">It’s time to crack open the Tia Maria and whack on the footy franks because the foxy ladies of Fountain Lakes are back!</p> <p dir="ltr">The cast of Aussie TV show <em>Kath & Kim</em> have once again joined forces to record a special project for the show’s 20th anniversary. </p> <p dir="ltr">Creators Gina Riley and Jane Turner along with stars Magda Szubanski, Glenn Robbins and Peter Rowsthorn arrived at the NEP Studios in South Melbourne for filming. </p> <p dir="ltr">The special one-off is expected to see the famous characters of Kath Day-Knight (Turner), her daughter Kimberly Day Craig (Riley), Kath’s butcher husband Kel (Robbins) and Kim’s husband Brett (Rowsthorn), and second-best friend Sharon Strzelecki (Szubanski) return. </p> <p dir="ltr">And of course, Kath & Kim’s Brighton alter egos, Prue and Trude will make an appearance. </p> <p dir="ltr">The reboot is expected to air later in the year with ABC, Seven and Netflix strong contenders for the broadcast. </p> <p dir="ltr">The first episode of <em>Kath & Kim</em> aired in May 2002 which then saw a legion of fans follow the foxy ladies. </p> <p dir="ltr">Fans were recently in <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/property/real-estate/how-can-they-do-this-iconic-house-of-kath-and-kim-demolished" target="_blank" rel="noopener">uproar after the home</a> used in the show, dubbed “Chateau Kath" was demolished after the owner wanted to create a bigger home for her family. </p> <p dir="ltr">Pete Rowsthorn, who played Brett in the series, said the house contained a lot of memories but it's time to move on.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was a weird house, if I bought it I'd probably pull it down too," he previously said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"It had really quite small rooms … the squeaky back door, that was all natural sound. There was no foley man putting that on top.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I played cricket in the backyard with Shane Warne, I danced in the garage with Kylie Minogue, I sat and had dinner with Barry Humphries dressed up as a monk.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Facebook</em></p>

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Tina Turner posts rare new snap

<p>Legendary singer Tina Turner has shared a rare new image with fans as she prepares to enter a new chapter in her life completely out of the spotlight.</p> <p>Turner already largely retreated from public life over the last decade but broke her social media silence to promote her new documentary film<span> </span><em>Tina</em>.</p> <p>The photo is one of the first times fans have seen a recent photo of Turner as she's been plagued by ill-health including a stroke, cancer and kidney transplant in more than a year.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CMuvSiColPF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CMuvSiColPF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Tina Turner (@tinaturner)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"Only 5 days left! This Saturday, the documentary "TINA" will be released. I am so excited to share this movie with you – seeing the concert scenes made me relive some of the proudest moments of my life. I simply had to sing along and dance around my living room!" she wrote under the sweet snap.</p> <p><em>Tina</em>, a HBO feature-length documentary was filmed in 2019 and shows Turner revisiting her early years where she struggled with domestic abuse before her dream career materialised just a few years later.</p> <p>“It wasn’t a good life. The good did not balance the bad," Turner reflects in the documentary.</p> <p>“I had an abusive life, there’s no other way to tell the story. It’s a reality. It’s a truth. That’s what you’ve got, so you have to accept it.”</p> <p>The film is also a final farewell to fans, as she wants her final phase of life to be private.</p>

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Tina Turner bids farewell to fans

<p><span>In the feature-length documentary, simply titled Tina, the singer has opened up about her younger years, and how she found true love, global fame and healing as a middle-aged woman.</span><br /><br /><span>The 81-year-old now suffers from a number of health issues and revealed in her film that she wants to enter her final chapter of life out of the spotlight.</span><br /><br /><span>Looking back at her life, Tina revealed: “It wasn’t a good life. The good did not balance the bad.</span><br /><br /><span>“I had an abusive life, there’s no other way to tell the story. It’s a reality. It’s a truth. That’s what you’ve got, so you have to accept it.</span><br /><br /><span>“Some people say the life that I lived and the performances that I gave, the appreciation, is blasting with the people. And yeah, I should be proud of that. I am.</span><br /><br /><span>“But when do you stop being proud? I mean, when do you, how do you bow out slowly? Just go away?”</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840314/tina-turner.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/e7d755a0bcad466ca87e57cdcdd72195" /><br /><br /><span>The documentary, set to release in the US on Sunday, March 28, shows Tina speaking with her second husband, Erwin Bach.</span><br /><br /><span>After their farewell trip to the US for the Broadway premiere of her stage show, The Tina Turner Story, Erwin, 65, revealed: “She said, ‘I’m going to America to say goodbye to my American fans and I’ll wrap it up.’ And I think this documentary and the play, this is it – it’s a closure.”</span><br /><br /><span>Tina’s documentary is a painful reminder of her past, but she chose to share her life on film for her global army of fans.</span><br /><br /><span>In her career, she has sold more than 100 million records, and at her peak in the 1980s, sold out arenas around the globe.</span><br /><br /><span>Tina was born with the name Anna Mae Bullock, and her childhood days were filled by picking cotton in the fields around Nutbush, Tennessee.</span><br /><br /><span>Her mother, Zelma, suffered domestic abuse at the hands of her father, Floyd Bullock, before they both fled and abandoned her as a child.</span><br /><br /><span>Tina revealed that when she reunited with her mother as a superstar, Zelma was cold and unloving.</span><br /><br /><span>“Mum was not kind. When I became a star, of course back then she was happy because I bought her a house. I did all kinds of things for her, she was my mother,” Tina revealed.</span><br /><br /><span>“I was trying to make her comfortable because she didn’t have a husband, she was alone, but she still didn’t like me.</span><br /><br /><span>“Even after I became Tina, Ma was still a little bit like, ‘Who did that?’ and ‘Who did this?’ And I said, ‘I did that, Mum!’ I was happy to show my mother what I did. I had a house, I had got a car, and she said, ‘No, I don’t believe it. No, you’re my daughter, no you didn’t!’</span><br /><br /><span>“She didn’t want me, she didn’t want to be around me, even though she wanted my success. But I did for her as if she loved me.”</span><br /><br /><span>Tina experiences domestic violence and cruel abuse firsthand when she married her first husband Ike Turner in 1962.</span><br /><br /><span>The marriage saw Anna Mae Bullock reborn as Tina Turner and together they made a duo that would see them become soul stars for almost three decades.</span><br /><br /><span>When they split in 1976, Tina’s new name was the only thing she asked for in their divorce proceedings.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840313/tina-turner-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/84784d36687a46a1a153a7097f8ac4cf" /><br /><br /><span>Together they Ronnie, and she adopted two of Ike’s children, Ike Jr and Michael, from his previous relationship.</span><br /><br /><span>She also had another son, Craig, from a previous relationship.</span><br /><br /><span>Erwin said in the documentary that his loving wife still has nightmares about those dark days and is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result.</span><br /><br /><span>“She has dreams about it; they’re not pleasant. It’s like when soldiers come back from the war. It’s not an easy time to have those in your memory and then try to forget,” he said.</span><br /><br /><span>Tina first tried to escape from Ike with a sleeping pill overdose in 1968 and admitted: “That scene comes back. You’re dreaming it. The real picture is there, it’s like a curse.”</span><br /><br /><span>She has come to terms with her past, and found peace with Ike, who died of an accidental drug overdose in 2007.</span><br /><br /><span>Tina revealed: “For a long time I did hate Ike, I have to say that. But then, after he died, I really realised that he was an ill person. He did get me started and he was good to me in the beginning. So I have some good thoughts. Maybe it was a good thing that I met him – that, I don’t know.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840311/tina-turner-3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/fe67a33f41fb4da48080aea63a83282e" /><br /><br /><span>“It hurts to have to remember those times, but at a certain stage forgiveness takes over, forgiving means not having to hold on.</span><br /><br /><span>“It was letting go, because it only hurts you. By not forgiving, you suffer, because you think about it over and over. And for what?”</span><br /><br /><span>Tina would go on to reinvent herself as a solo artist, and had hit albums such as Private Dancer and Break Every Rule.</span><br /><br /><span>Tina met German record producer Erwin while visiting Europe in 1986. She was 46 and he was 30, but it was love at first sight.</span><br /><br /><span>“He had the prettiest face. It was like, ‘Where did he come from?’ He was so good looking,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>“My heart went ba-bum. It means that a soul has met. When he found out that I liked him he came to America and we were in Nashville and I said to him, ‘When you come to LA I want you to make love to me.’</span><br /><br /><span>“I thought that I could say that because I was a free woman, I didn’t have a boyfriend, I liked him.</span><br /><br /><span>“There was nothing wrong with it – it was just sex. And he looked at me as if he didn’t believe what he was hearing.</span><br /><br /><span>“He was just so different, so laid back, so comfortable, so unpretentious, and that was the beginning of our relationship.”</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840312/tina-turner-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/6c613152303548a7a08d1b11eda79b10" /><br /><br /><span>Tina made her last album in 1999, at age 59. She gave her final performance in 2009.</span><br /><br /><span>Tina now lives in Switzerland with Erwin, after renouncing her US citizenship.</span><br /><br /><span>In 2018, Tina lost her son Craig when he committed suicide in Los Angeles.</span><br /><br /><span>After scattering his ashes, she said: “My saddest moment as a mother. He was 59 when he died so tragically, but he will always be my baby.”</span><br /><br /><span>Her most recent illness led to her kidney transplant.</span><br /><br /><span>Erwin ended up being the donor, and while the process was risky for an elderly couple, they came out okay.</span><br /><br /><span>Erwin said: “It’s something we both have for each other. I always refer to it as an electrical charge. I still have it.”</span><br /><br /><span>Before the operation, Tina had been so ill that she was considering assisted suicide, as it is legal in Switzerland.</span><br /><br /><span>She joined the assisted-suicide organisation Exit, and recalled in a book three years ago: “It wasn’t my idea of life but the toxins in my body had started taking over. I couldn’t eat.</span><br /><br /><span>“I was surviving, but not living. I began to think about death. If my kidneys were going, and it was time for me to die, I could accept that, it was OK.</span><br /><br /><span>“When it’s time, it’s really time.”</span></p>

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Elton John reveals furious row with Tina Turner in new autobiography

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sir Elton John has revealed in his new autobiography </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Me</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> about the tough times he went through with singer Tina Turner. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The two legends united for a joint tour in 1997, but tensions quickly rose and eventually Elton told Tina to “shove her song up her f***ing a**e”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In an extract from the book, which has been serialised in the </span><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7551955/Elton-Uncensored-Tinas-tantrum-simply-best.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Daily Mail</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Elton revealed that he was particularly upset after some suggestions from Tina. The suggestions included swapping his Versace for Armani outfits so he would look “less fat” and that he should update his hairstyle.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I got off the phone and burst into tears: ‘She sounded like my f***ing mother,’ I wailed at David.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Things didn’t get better in rehearsals. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The subsequent debate about whether I knew how to play </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Proud Mary</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> became quite heated, before I brought it to a conclusion by telling Tina Turner to stick her f*****g song up her a**e and stormed off,” Elton added.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’ve thrown plenty of tantrums in my time, but there are limits: there’s an unspoken rule that musicians don’t treat their fellow musicians like s***.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, Elton has had time to reflect on why Tina was acting like that.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Maybe it was insecurity on her part. She’d been treated appallingly earlier in her career, suffered years and years of being ripped off, beaten up and pushed around. Maybe that had an effect on how she behaved towards people,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Later, once Elton had calmed down, he went to Tina’s dressing room to apologise.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The argument made the pair realise that they had different performance styles, as Elton preferred to improvise, and Tina wanted to rehearse every detail.</span></p>

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