‘Simply the best’: Tina Turner remembered
Michael Rapino, Mick Jagger, Andre Bechir, Beyonce and Max Lousada have joined the chorus of voices mourning Tina Turner following the pop icon’s death aged 83.
The legendary American vocalist died yesterday (24 May) at her home near Zurich, Switzerland following a long illness, sparking a flood of tributes from across the world.
“Tina always sparkled with strength and joy,” Swiss promoter Bechir, who staged around 30 concerts by Turner, tells Blick. “Despite all the drama and strokes of fate that she had to experience, she never let the negative get to her, she always valued the good as bigger and higher. I have and will always admire that about Tina Turner, this great talent and this wonderful woman.
“Even when she faced major health challenges, where she withdrew, we were in contact by phone, I was with her and Erwin [Bach, Turner’s husband]. Even then, she remained confident that everything would turn out well. She never lost her sense of humour either.”
Live Nation CEO Rapino tweets: “Simply The Best. RIP Tina Turner,” while Spain’s Doctor Music posts: “Tina Turner passed away yesterday but her powerful voice will never fade. She will now forever be the queen of rock and roll. We’ll miss you. Tina, you are simply the best.”
“I am so grateful for your inspiration, and all the ways you have paved the way”
Turner’s 11th and final tour, the 90-date Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour, was attended by 1.2 million fans from October 2008 to May 2009 and grossed US$132.5 million at the box office.
Her previous Twenty Four Seven Tour in 2000 generated $122.5m from more than 2.4m ticket sales. According to Pollstar it was the year’s highest-grossing tour in North America, netting $80.2m. During her Break Every Rule World Tour in 1988, she reportedly set a then-Guinness World Record for the largest paying audience for a solo performer when she drew 180,000 people to the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Beyoncé, who duetted with Turner at the 2008 Grammy Awards, writes on her website: “My beloved queen. I love you endlessly. I am so grateful for your inspiration, and all the ways you have paved the way. You are strength and resilience. You are the epitome of passion and power.
“We are all so fortunate to have witnessed your kindness and beautiful spirit that will forever remain. Thank you for all you have done.”
Mick Jagger posts on social media: “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.”
“Tina will be remembered most through the sheer joy of her music”
Dionne Warwick writes: “Not only will I miss that eternal ball of energy named Tina Turner but the entire world will also find this void in their lives.”
Born Anna Mae Bullock in Brownsville, Tennessee in 1939, Turner first found fame alongside her first husband Ike Turner in the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before going on to huge success as a solo artist in the 1980s with songs such as What’s Love Got to Do with It, Private Dancer, We Don’t Need Another Hero and The Best.
A 12-time Grammy Award winner, she was signed to Warner Music, whose CEO, recorded music, Max Lousada says: “All of us at Warner Music are deeply saddened by the passing of the one and only Tina Turner. A global icon and trailblazer, instantly recognisable by her incredible voice and inimitable style, she was one of the greatest stars of all time.
“Even after the countless awards, the 180 million album sales, the record-breaking tours, and unforgettable acting roles, Tina will be remembered most through the sheer joy of her music. So powerful is her extraordinary, universal appeal that there is no doubt she will continue to influence generations to come. She stands as the epitome of artistic self-empowerment.
“We offer our heartfelt condolences to her husband Erwin Bach, family, friends, and countless fans around the world.”
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