26 May 2023 , 07:56
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Cher has paid tribute to her "perfect friend" Tina Turner as she admitted the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll was "really ready" to die.
The iconic singer passed away peacefully on Wednesday at her home in Kusnacht, Switzerland. She died from natural causes at the age of 83.
Behind the scenes, however, Tina had been battling high blood pressure and kidney failure.
Her beloved husband Erwin Bach even donated a kidney so his wife could have a transplant, but it was too late and Tina spent her last months feeling "nauseous and dizzy".
"She fought this sickness for such a long time and she was so strong as you would think she would be," Cher revealed.
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Tina Turner and Cher were 'perfect friends' (Getty Images)"But towards the end she told me once, 'I'm really ready. I don't want to put up with this anymore'. She didn't swear, it's so funny we were best friends, but she didn't want to do it anymore."
Cher started visiting her friend regularly before Tina's death so she would "know that we haven't forgotten her".
"She was really happy and the first time I went, she was laying on this little chaise that she looks out at the lake with and she said I can't spend too much time and then five hours later we were laughing like crazy," Cher recalled.
Cher visited her friend throughout her sickness (NY Daily News via Getty Images)Speaking on MSNBC's The Beat with Ari Melber, added: "She was having a good time in spite of the fact that she was really sick and not wanting people to know about it."
While suffering from kidney failure, Tina had a dialysis machine in her house.
Cher said Tina gave her a sweet gift during one of her visits.
"I want to tell you one thing, she gave me a pair of shoes the last time I saw her."
When asked what kind of shoes they were, she replied: "Tina Turner shoes! The big high heels that she just went around on like they were nothing."
Tina gifted Cher a pair of high heels (AP)
She died at the age of 83 (REX/Shutterstock)Paying tribute to Tina, Cher described her as "one of the greatest artists in our generation" and said there was no other person who could have come close.
"She gave me lots of strength and I'm sure she's encouraged so many young people, but she gave me lots of strength. And I gave her lots of strength too.
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"I think we were perfect friends for each other. I swear like a sailor and she never did."
Cher remembered Tina as "such a force", adding: "She might not have won every battle, but she fought every war. She was there fighting for all the things she believed in."