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Tina Turner dies at 83 in Switzerland after six decades of international stardom

The “What’s Love Got to Do With It” singer’s told the British based Telegraph newspaper that the singer passed away after suffering from a medical illness in her Küsnacht on the outskirts of Zurich, Switzerland

Tina Turner record album taken from Miami, Florida
Tina Turner record album taken from Miami, Florida | Shutterstock

May 24, 2023 3:02pm

Updated: May 24, 2023 3:02pm

Legendary rock queen Tina Turner who became world renown in a six decade long entertainment career as a singer and actress, died Wednesday at the age of 83.

The “What’s Love Got to Do With It” singer’s told the British based Telegraph newspaper that the singer passed away after suffering from a medical illness in her Küsnacht on the outskirts of Zurich, Switzerland.

The singer was reportedly suffering from intestinal cancer and kidney failure, which required a transplant after having suffered from a stroke.

Turner became famous in the 1960s as part of the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, breaking records until she left her husband from years of domestic abuse.

After Turner broke free of that relationship, she defied the odds and made a historic comeback on her own with major hits such as her iconic 1971 version of “Proud Mary” and hits such as “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”

In 1975, the famed singer performed as The Acid Queen in “Tommy,” a British film based on The Who’s 1969 rock opera.

Her autobiography, “I, Tina.” was adapted into the 1993 film, What’s Love Got To Do With It, which told the story her relationship with Ike Turner while raising two children.

The movie starred actress Angela Bassett as Turner, who was later nominated for an Oscar for her performance.

Turner herself also starred in movies with actors like Mel Gibson in the 1985 “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

Turner, widely referred to as the Queen of Rock and Roll, wed her long-time German beau, the music executive Erwin Bach, in a Swiss civil ceremony in 2013, and has lived in Switzerland with him since 1994.

Her last major performance took place in the 2021 documentary “Tina.”

“Some people say the life that I lived and the performances that I gave, the appreciation … I should be proud of that. I am,” Tuner said in the HBO doc.

“But when do you stop being proud? I mean, when do you, how do you bow out slowly? Just go away?”

Turner’s amazing career lasted more than 60 years.

The American singer was born Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee. Throughout her life she won eight Grammy Awards and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and St Louis Walk of Fame.

Her representatives asked the public to respect the family’s time of mourning.

"There will be a private funeral ceremony attended by close friends and family," Turner's publicist told the Telegraph. "Please respect the privacy of her family at this difficult time."