07 February 2024 , 20:00
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Tina Turner was simply the best, with unforgettable, iconic music spanning five decades. The Proud Mary singer garnered eight Grammys as well as three Grammy Hall of Fame awards, entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, and received a lifetime achievement award from the MOBOs in 1999 for her services to music.
Born Anna Mae Bullock in 1939, she was raised in Tennessee but moved to Missouri, where her love for rhythm and blues began to flourish. At the young age of 27 she met her first husband, Ike Turner, and joined him and his band the Kings of Rhythm - becoming the sensation we know as Tina Turner. With her electric dance moves and stage presence Tina soon turned into the main act, with the group becoming the Ike and Tina Turner Revue.
Tina was known as the 'Queen of Rock n Roll' (AFP via Getty Images)The group finally got their big break in 1960 with A Fool in Love, followed a few years later by the River Deep-Mountain High album. While it wasn't a early hit in the US, the European audience loved it.
One of their most-loved hits, Proud Mary, is a 1971 rendition of the Creedence Clearwater Revival's song. Tina performed it with a routine of energised dance moves whilst singing effortlessly on stage, and was featured in Xbox and Wii's Just Dance two and three in 2010.
In 1978, Tina filed for divorce after 16 years of marriage and focused on her solo album, Private Dancer, in 1984. It went on to sell more than 20 million copies and won three Grammy awards. It also gave Tina her own signature song, "What's Love Got to Do with It."
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Tima fit right in with Ike and his band (Michael Ochs Archives)Despite the divorce, Ike and Tina were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. It would take another 30 years for her to be awarded a solo spot there. By 1999, Tina had recorded five solo albums and was an international star.
In 1999 she received the MOBO Lifetime Achievement Award, given to her by friend and singer Lionel Richie. In her speech Tina said: "I've never had such an honour. When I started my solo career, it started right here in Britain. The British people have supported me all the way to Private Dancer straight to my current album Twenty-four seven. I want to take a moment to thank my British audience for all their support all the years and the MOBO for this wonderful moment and this wonderful trophy.
Angela Bassett as the icon (Channel 4)
Tina founmd her true love (Getty Images)And the awards kept coming. 2005 she was handed the Kennedy Center Honor, an annual award given recognise peoples contribution to American culture. Other stars such as Al Green, Tom Hanks, Gloria Estefan and Cicely Tyson have also won the prestigious award.
In 2018 Tina started London's West End musical Tina, the story of her life. The show debuted in 2019 and is still selling out weekly.
She found love again after Ike, marrying Erwin Bach in 2013. The tied the knot in Switzerland, where she's lived since 1995. She was a citizen there when she died, speaking fondly of her love for the country. Her final days were spent in her home, after battling kidney disease and cancer she passed away in May 2023.