Legendary rock star, soul singer, and gay icon Tina Turner has died. She was 83.
Turner's death was announced in a post on her official Facebook page.
"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," it read.
Turner was born in 1939 to sharecroppers in Nutbush, Tenn. She lived with her grandmother after her parents split up.
The performer had countless hits through the 1960s and 1970s with her then-husband Ike Turner, who was abusive. She escaped the abuse.
Her career floundered until the mid-1980s when she released her album Private Dancer. That album reinvigorated Turner's career tenfold with the No. 1 hit "What's Love Got to Do With It." The album won her three Grammy awards and eventually sold over 10 million records.
She became a fixture on MTV and became a global superstar with her intense and lively performances. Turner became known as the Queen of Rock and Roll.
After her success in the 1980s and 1990s, Turner eventually moved to Switzerland and married her long-time boyfriend Erwin Bach, a music executive. While Turner and Ike were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, she was inducted again as a solo artist in 2021.
“One of my early career goals was to become the first Black woman to fill stadiums around the world,” Turner told the Today show two years ago. “At the time, it seemed impossible. But I never gave up, and I’m so happy I made that dream come true."
