The queen of rock ‘n’ roll passed away on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, at her home in Switzerland. The legendary singing star, Tina Turner was 83 at the time of her death.
Turner’s spokesperson confirmed that she passed away ”peacefully” and stated, ”With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model. With her music and inexhaustible vitality, Tina Turner thrilled millions of fans and inspired many artists of subsequent generations.”
She became famous in the late 60s as the singer of the band Ike & Tina Turner Revue, but later she became successful worldwide as a solo artist. Global hits like ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’, ‘Private Dancer’, and ‘The Best’, more than 180 million albums sold, 12 Grammy Awards, and over three decades of sold-out stadium tours around the world are part of her unique legacy.
As the news of her passing spread around the world, tributes poured in from fans and famous faces alike. Popular figures such as Naomi Campbell and Magic Johnson expressed their heartfelt condolences, paying tribute to the icon’s extraordinary talent. Turner’s funeral service will be a private affair, exclusively attended by Tina’s close relatives and friends, as stated by her spokesperson.
How did Tina Turner die?
Turner’s cause of death was a ”long illness”, according to a statement from her publicist. In the years leading up to her demise, the star had been open about the health problems she faced. Her illnesses included intestinal cancer in 2016, a kidney transplant in 2017, and a stroke in 2013. Turner has been living with high blood pressure for most of her life.
In her 2018 memoir titled, ”My Love Story”, she wrote, ”I’ve been on such a wild roller-coaster in the four years since my wedding that even I have difficulty keeping my medical catastrophes straight.”
Tina Turner suffered a stroke
Turner had a stroke in October 2013, three months after her marriage to Erwin Bach. The iconic singer wrote in her memoir, ”I woke up suddenly and in a panic. A lightning bolt struck my head and my right leg, at least that’s how it felt. I had a funny sensation in my mouth that made it difficult for me to call out to Erwin for help. I suspected it wasn’t good, but it was worse than I ever imagined. I was having a stroke.”
She was unable to move and had to drag herself and pull her body to change her position. Turner stayed in the hospital for ten days. She wrote that ”nothing about the rehabilitation process was easy”, though she was able to regain her ability to walk in the course of time.
Tina Turner had high blood pressure for long
Turner wrote in her memoir that in 1978, she was diagnosed with high blood pressure. In 1985, she started taking once-day-pill for the condition and mentioned that ”I didn’t think much of it, both my mother and sister had it.” She stated that she learned to live with it and normalized her high range of blood pressure.
Soon, her unmanaged high blood pressure started affecting other organs, primarily her kidneys and heart. Eventually, she needed a kidney transplant, and her heart muscle became enlarged and the vessels hardened.
The singer experienced kidney failure and had a transplant
After her stroke, she soon found that she had only 35% kidney function. Eventually, it dropped to 5% and underwent dialysis in an effort to get healthy.
Tina Said, ”Only the transplant would give me a good chance of a near-normal life. But the chances of getting a donor’s kidney were remote.” The ‘Rock N Soul’ icon added she didn’t want to ”live on a machine”, saying, ”It wasn’t my idea of life. But the toxins in my body had started taking over. I couldn’t eat. I was surviving but not living and I began to think about death.”
The iconic singer got shocked when his husband urged that he wanted to give up one of his kidneys. Further, Erwin underwent testing to see if he was a match, and after getting all tests done, the couple went for surgery. Erwin donated his kidney which extended Tina’s life for 6 years.
Tina Turner had intestinal cancer
To add to her sorrow, in January 2016, Turner was diagnosed with intestinal cancer. She wrote in her memoir that she had been suffering from chronic diarrhea for months previously. She had carcinoma and multiple malignant polyps in her intestines.
After a month, she underwent surgery to remove the cancerous part of her intestine. This delayed her kidney transplant surgery by one year, which she underwent in April 2017.
Tina Turner’s son, Ronnie Turner, who was born to Ike and Tina, also had a similar type of cancer. Unfortunately, he died from the disease in December 2022 at the age of 63.
Tina Turner also faced mental health struggles
Turner wrote in her autobiography that she attempted before eventually getting out of the relationship with her ex-husband Ike Turner in 1978. She had suffered massive domestic abuse from Ike. She had such thoughts multiple times as she was unhappy. Later, she came out of the darkness and decided to survive.
The iconic singer experienced vertigo
Other than these major diseases, Tina Turner also had vertigo. After her stroke, she started feeling dizzy, had a balance disorder, and she couldn’t stand or walk properly.
Final thoughts
As it is said, ”You cannot have it all”!! Tina Turner’s had an abusive life. According to her, ”It wasn’t a good life. The good did not balance the bad.” Personally, I feel that she was brave enough to accept the truth and talk openly about it. It takes a lot of courage to talk about your challenges, pitfalls and struggles in the journey of life. Certainly, she is an inspiration for a lot of people in many ways.
