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Tina Turner, a musical icon nicknamed the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", passed away on May 23, 2023. She will be remembered not just for her music, but also for her perseverance through discrimination and abuse.
Courtesy of the New York Times
Turner started her vocal career with the band Kings of Rhythm, where she performed with future husband Ike Turner. Together, they produced some of her greatest hits, such as “A Fool in Love.” But when she suggested separating, their relationship took a dark turn. Ike Turner was physically abusive, unfaithful, and had serious substance abuse problems. Tina Turner suffered greatly throughout this entire relationship, even attempting suicide in 1968.
"I was living a life of death… I didn't exist. I didn't fear him killing me when I left, because I was already dead. When I walked out, I didn't look back,” Turner told PEOPLE magazine in a bombshell interview.
Possibly jeopardizing her entire career, Turner left her marriage with nothing but 36 cents and a credit card. She struggled financially for years, relying on food stamps and small nightclub appearances. In 1984, she released her first solo album, Private Dancer, which included her all-time greatest hit “What's Love Got to Do With It”. The release of this album marked “one of the greatest comebacks in music history,” according to Billboard. Turner proved herself and her ability to thrive independently.
“How do we say farewell to a woman who owned her pain and trauma and used it as a means to help change the world?” said Angela Bassett in a May 2023 Instagram post. “Through her courage in telling her story, her commitment to stay the course in her life, no matter the sacrifice, and her determination to carve out a space in rock and roll for herself and for others who look like her, Tina Turner showed others who lived in fear what a beautiful future filled with love, compassion, and freedom should look like.”
Turner was able to break free from years of abuse and trauma, building a legacy far greater than anything she could have created with her abuser. She is a true testament to resilience and fighting to earn what you deserve.
Images Courtesy of Spotify
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