BMG mourns the loss of legendary singer, dancer, actress, and author Tina Turner, who passed away at her home in Zürich, Switzerland, on May 24, at the age of 83. With a career spanning more than half a century, Turner is not only one of the world’s most popular and successful entertainers but the beloved global icon widely regarded as the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll”.
Among her many accomplishments, the revered singer received 12 Grammy Awards, was the first Black artist and the first female artist to feature on the cover of Rolling Stone and was awarded the Légion d’honneur by the French government. One of the world’s best-selling artists of all time, her live performances have been seen by millions. First inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as half of Ike & Tina Turner in 1991, she was inducted in her own right as a solo artist in 2021.
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Born as Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee, Turner first rose to fame in the 1960s, partnering with then-husband Ike Turner, as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, acclaimed for her live performances and catalogue of hits including ‘River Deep – Mountain High’ and ‘Proud Mary’. Turner’s well-publicized divorce and hardships ultimately forced her to virtually all but disappear from the music scene. By the 1970s, she began practicing Buddhism and rebuilt her life by tapping into her spiritual strength.
She celebrated her newfound freedom in 1975 with the role of the Acid Queen in the film version of The Who’s Tommy, delivering an outrageous, but all-too-brief performance.
She continued to release several albums during the late 1970s, but it was in 1984 that her career went stratospheric with 1984’s Private Dancer going 5x Platinum in the US and selling 10 million copies worldwide, spawning megahits including ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’, ‘Better Be Good To Me’, the title track, and a cover of Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stay Together’. The album would earn her widespread recognition and numerous awards including three Grammy awards.
A string of hit albums followed, including Break Every Rule, Foreign Affair and What’s Love Got To Do With It. Hit singles included ‘Typical Male’, ‘The Best’, ‘I Don’t Wanna Lose You’, ‘I Don’t Wanna Fight’, and ‘Goldeneye’. Successful duets with David Bowie and Mick Jagger showed her ability to perform on an equal footing with the greats of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
With another movie role in 1985, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, she found another hit in its theme song, ‘We Don’t Need Another Hero’, establishing her high-profile status well into the 1990s.
As an author, her bestselling memoir, I, Tina, became the 1993 Academy Award-nominated film What’s Love Got to Do with It, while her follow-up book, My Love Story, was a global success in 2018.
Additionally, Turner’s eventful life has been immortalized in at least three documentaries including HBO’s 2021 production Tina, while the hit biographical musical Tina: The Tina Turner Musical – has become one of the most successful stage shows on Broadway and London’s West End, honored with both a Tony and an Olivier award.
BMG is proud to represent an extensive portfolio of rights from the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, one of the greatest and best-loved artists in popular music history, and will maintain and develop her musical treasure-trove and safeguard her inspirational legacy.
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