The Queen of Rock and Roll, Tina Turner, died today at the age of 83. She was born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939, in rural Tennessee. She was discovered by Ike Turner at age 17, when she grabbed the microphone to sing at one of his club shows in St. Louis. She debuted as Tina Turner in 1960 as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. They became one of the most formidable live acts in history, with a string of hits including “River Deep-Mountain High”, “Proud Mary”, and “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine”. They disbanded in 1976, and their divorce was finalized shortly after. In the 1980s, Tina Turner began one of the greatest comebacks in music history. Her 1984 album Private Dancer went multi-platinum, with the song “What’s Love Got to Do with It” winning her the Grammy for Record of the Year. It was her first and only song to hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 – the oldest female solo artist to do so at age 44. She also acted, appearing in Tommy in 1975 and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1985. She retired in 2009, after finishing her Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour. With more than 100 million records sold worldwide, Turner is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. She won a total of 12 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice – with Ike Turner in 1991 and as a solo artist in 2021. She died at her home in Switzerland after a long illness and is survived by her husband, German music executive Erwin Bach, and 2 sons of Ike’s that she adopted. Learn more here.
