Summary

  • Tina Turner - the singer who became a superstar with hits like The Best and What's Love Got to Do With It - has died in Switzerland aged 83 after a long illness

  • Dubbed the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, she was famed for her raunchy and energetic stage performances and husky, powerful vocals

  • Roger Davies, her manager of 30 years, called the US singer a "force of nature"

  • Fellow soul star Diana Ross said she was "shocked" and "saddened" by the news, while Gloria Gaynor called Turner an "iconic legend" who "paved the way for so many women in rock music"

  • Sir Mick Jagger has paid tribute to his "wonderful friend", and Sir Elton John labelled the late performer "a total legend on record and on stage"

  • Turner rose to fame alongside husband Ike in the 1960s with songs including Proud Mary and River Deep, Mountain High

  • She divorced the abusive Ike in 1978, and went on to find even greater success as a solo artist in the 1980s

  • Her career spanned half a century and produced R&B, soul, rock and pop hits. She retired in 2009.

Live Reporting

Edited by James FitzGerald

  1. Nasa: Tina's legacy will forever live among the stars

    US space agency Nasa has also paid tribute to Tina Turner, saying her legacy will "forever live among the stars".

    "Simply the best. Music legend Tina sparkled across the stage and into millions of hearts as the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll. Her legacy will forever live among the stars," Nasa wrote.

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  2. 'A legendary queen of rock and roll'

    Singer Ciara and basketball legend Magic Johnson are among the latest celebrities paying tribute to Turner on social media.

    Johnson calls the singer "one of my favourite artists of all time", and "a legendary queen of rock and roll."

    "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 money's worth."

    Ciara writes that "heaven has gained an angel".

    "Rest in Paradise Tina Turner. Thank you for the inspiration you gave us all," she tweets.

  3. 'A formidable woman with audiences of all ages'

    The West End theatre running a musical depicting Tina Turner's life says it is "so proud" to tell the late singer's story.

    Aldwych Theatre, the current home of the show, Tina The Musical, tweets: "Rest in peace Tina Turner, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll.

    "We are so proud to tell her story on our stage and celebrate such a formidable woman with audiences of all ages.

    "Our thoughts are with her family at this time."

  4. The UK took Turner to our hearts

    Katie Razzall
    Culture editor

    Tina Turner in 1997Getty Images

    You could sense her musical influences from the start; gospel, blues, a voice that had been honed in a Baptist church in Tennessee.

    But the sound was all her own. And as she danced you could see that music was like a spirit inside her soul. She was wild, sensual, and for a young girl like me, watching and listening in awe, she felt free.

    Of course, she hadn’t been. The horrors of her abuse at the hands of Ike Turner are now well documented. Tina Turner first told the story publicly in 1981 to People magazine.

    She described her experiences as “torture”.

    Tina Turner escaped her abuser. She became the star she was destined to be. In the UK, we took her to our hearts. She had top 40 hits in seven separate decades here.

    Now she’s gone, let’s put her music on loud, celebrate her genius – and never mention Ike Turner again.

  5. Brunio Tonioli remembers a 'true force of nature'

    Former Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli, paid tribute to Tina Turner, saying he was "honoured to have worked with her".

    Tonioli, who is now a judge on ITV's Britain's Got Talent, worked on the video for her1990 song Steamy Windows, which hit number 13 in the UK chart.

    He called her "incredibly talented" and "a true force of nature", saying her "legacy will last forever".

  6. 'Tina paved the way for so many women'

    Gloria GaynorGetty Images

    Singer Gloria Gaynor hailed Tina Turner as an "iconic legend who paved the way for so many women in rock music, black and white" in a touching tribute.

    Writing on Twitter, Gaynor said:

    I am so, so very sad to hear of the passing of Tina Turner, the iconic legend who paved the way for so many women in rock music, black and white.

    She did with great dignity & success what very few would even have dared to do in her time and in that genre of music."

  7. 'Our hearts go out to her family and friends' - White House

    US White House has added its voice to the outpouring tributes for singer Tina Turner.

    During a press briefing Karine Jean-Pierre said Turner was a music icon "who had many stages in many amazing moments in her career".

    "Very sad to hear the news. I was a huge fan of Tina Turner.

    "As you can see from my reaction, that is the first I'm hearing of it. and it is a massive loss, massive loss to the communities that that loved her and certainly to the music industry, and her music will live will continue to live on very sad news.

    "Our hearts go out to her family and her friends."

  8. 'Tina, we will miss you dearly'

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    The official Instagram account of Tina Turner has paid tribute to the singer, hailing her "boundless passion for life".

    It also took stock of Turner's legacy, saying that she had "inspired the stars of tomorrow".

    Posting a black and white picture of Turner, the caption reads: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner.

    "With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow.

    "Today we say goodbye to a dear friend who leaves us all her greatest work: her music.

    "All our heartfelt compassion goes out to her family. Tina, we will miss you dearly."

  9. In pictures: Simply the best

    Tina Turner, a musician who defied the constraints of age, gender and race to become a rock legend.

    Tina TurnerGetty Images

    Tina Turner was a singer known for her high energy performing style, with a stage presence and vocal power in part responsible for her nickname: the Queen of Rock’n’Roll

    Tina Turner and Ike TurnerGetty Images

    Turner’s career began alongside her then-husband Ike Turner in the 1960s, sharing great musical successes. But she would later reveal years of domestic abuse at his hands

    Tina Turner and Lionel RichieGetty Images

    Turner’s solo career after her divorce in 1978 would reach new heights, including winning three Grammy Awards in 1985, collecting them alongside her friend Lionel Richie

    Tina Turner performing in 2009, aged 69Getty Images

    After a Farewell tour in 2000 she went back on the road in 2009 aged 69 to celebrate her 50th anniversary in music

  10. 'Rest in peace and power' - model Naomi Campbell

    We're now hearing from supermodel Naomi Campbell, who says she will cherish her times with Rock 'n' Roll legend Tina Turner.

    "Rest in peace and power, the queen, legend, icon.

    "There will never be another. Cherish my times with you."

  11. Tina Turner was a force in the music industry

    David Sillito
    Arts Correspondent

    A force. That is the only way you could describe Tina Turner.

    What an extraordinary career she had. Up until her mid-40s she had been successful, but all the real success came in her 40s and afterwards.

    The incredible reinvention of her career that took place in the early 80s began with one song on a compilation album. It was Ball of Confusion to start off with and then Let's Stay Together. That turbo charged her rival.

    She had been without a record deal at the time, and then you look back through the 80s and 90s and she was absolutely at the top of the music industry for 20 years after that.

    There are generations of people who look at her as one of the great artists of the music world for the last 50 years.

  12. The pop legend who overcame abuse

    Tina TurnerEPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

    Tina Turner's husky contralto and raunchy stage presence made her one of the best-known singers of her generation.

    It was a long and often painful journey from a troubled childhood in rural Tennessee to global stardom.

    She was almost 40 before she broke free from an abusive relationship to establish herself as a solo artist.

    But she went on to record a string of best-selling albums, garner a host of awards, and become one of music's most popular live acts.

    Read our full obituary here.

  13. WATCH: Eight of Tina Turner's most legendary songs

    Watch Turner's legendary songs from River Deep Mountain High to The Best

  14. Turner's decades of hits

    Dubbed the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, Tina Turner was famed for her raunchy and energetic stage performances and husky, powerful vocals.

    Turner first found prominence as one of the backing singers for Ike Turner's band The Kings of Rhythm.

    She soon went on to front the band, and they found commercial success with Fool in Love and It's Gonna Work Out Fine, which made the US charts in the early 60s.

    Other hits included 1973's Nutbush City Limits, about the small town where Tina was born.

    As a solo artist Tuner became one of the biggest pop and rock stars of the 80s and 90s, with hits including Let's Stay Together, Steamy Windows, Private Dancer, James Bond theme GoldenEye, I Don't Wanna Fight and It Takes Two, a duet with Rod Stewart.

    She won eight Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 as a solo artist, having first been inducted alongside Ike in 1991.

    Tina TurnerGetty Images

  15. 'Tina was a force of nature' - singer's manager of 30 years

    We're now hearing a statement from Tina Turner's manager of 30 years, Roger Davies, who says Tina was a "unique and remarkable force of nature with her strength, incredible energy and immense talent".

    From the first day I met her in 1980, she believed in herself completely when few others did at that time.

    It was a privilege and an honour to have been a close friend as well as her manager for more than 30 years."

    Roger Davies, Tina Turner's manager for 30 years

    "I will miss her deeply," Davies adds.

  16. Tina Turner dies aged 83

    Tina TurnerGetty Images

    Hello and welcome as we bring you reaction to the sad news that singer Tina Turner has died aged 83.

    One of rock 'n roll's most famous voices, Turner died after a long illness in her home in Kusnacht near Zurich, Switzerland.

    Born Anna Mae Bullock, Turner's career spanned over 60 years and some of her most famous records include "What's Love Got to Do With It" and "(Simply) The Best".

    Selling more than 180m albums, the Tennessee born singer won 12 Grammy awards and over three decades of sold-out worldwide stadium tours.

    Turner rose to fame in the late 1960s as the singer of the band Ike & Tina Turner Revue, before carrying on as a solo artist in her own name.

    We'll bring you all the tributes and reaction to her passing.