(Photo Credits: Philip Spittle, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Beloved gay icon and Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll Tina Turner died after a long battle with illness at the age of 83. According to their representative, the legendary singer passed away peacefully. The statement reads:

“Tina Turner, the ‘Queen of Rock’n Roll’ has died peacefully today at the age of 83 after a long illness in her home in Kusnacht near Zurich, Switzerland.

With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model.”

Meanwhile, Turner’s official Instagram also posted a separate announcement. It 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.

Various reports state that Turner suffered several multiple life-threatening illnesses during the last few years of her life. She reportedly suffered a stroke in 2013 just three weeks after her wedding to Erwin Bach. In 2016, she was diagnosed with intestinal cancer and had a kidney transplant in 2017.

In her lifetime, Turner supported various charitable organizations most notable was her partnership with the Children’s Health Fund, a “nonprofit organization that provides health care to children and families on mobile medical clinics throughout the United States.”

Additionally, Turner was an LGBTQ and HIV advocate as well. She headlined the 1982 Gay Games (Gay Games I) held in San Francisco, performing at its opening ceremony. Moreover, Tina Turner was also outspoken in her support for same-sex marriages. In an interview with The Advocate in 2000, she said, “I think that men marrying men, and women marrying women, is a wonderful thing. I think that it’s God’s blessings on them, that’s what I think.”

Tina Turner — born Anna Mae Bullock — is best known for speaking out about the domestic violence she suffered at the hands of his ex-husband Ike Turner. She was also very successful not only in her musical career as a singer and songwriter but also as a dancer, actress, and author.

Turner reportedly sold over 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. In addition to her illustrious career, she received a dozen Grammy Awards: eight of which are competitive awards, three were Grammy Hall of Fame awards, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Rolling Stone named Tina Tuner as one of the 100 100 Greatest Singers of All Time as well as one of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Tina Turner was given a star on the Walk of Fame, on August 27, 1986, at Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California. Meanwhile, she received her star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame in 1991.

Tina Turner was inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, first in 1991 with Ike Turner and in 2021 as a solo artist. In 2005, she was one of the recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors and Women of the Year award.

My favorite Tina Turner songs include Proud Mary (1970), What’s Love Got to Do with It? (1984), The Best (1989), River Deep – Mountain High (1966), and We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome, 1985) to name a few. Plus, who could ever forget that time when she sang Goldeneye (1995) for a James Bond movie of the same name, starring Pierce Brosnan? That song, in my humble opinion, is epic.

What about you, guys? What’s your favorite Tina Turner song? Add your comments below!

Quite a number of celebrities took to social media to grieve. Take a look at some of their statements below:

Farewell, Tina Turner. Thank you for everything that you’ve done for the community, thank you for the music. You will never be forgotten. May your soul rest in peace.

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