Tina Turner, R.I.P.

Rock 'n roll legend Tina Turner passed away today of a long illness. She was 83. 

The Tennessee native's musical career can be divided into very distinct phases. First, there was the nearly 20 years she spent with Ike Turner in The Ike and Tina Turner Revue. Their act was known for their scintillating live performances. They are best remembered for "River Deep, Mountain High" and "Proud Mary". The former was not a hit on this side of the Atlantic but covers by artists such as Eric Burdon and The Animals as well as Deep Purple gave it new life while the latter proved to be their only Top 10 hit.

Of course, Turner was subject to a torrent of physical abuse by her husband. In 1976, she finally left him virtually penniless. Turner would spend nearly the next decade toiling in obscurity until she signed with Capitol Records in 1983. After scoring a modest hit with a cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together", Capitol would agree to do a full-length album Private Dancer which was released 39 years ago this month.

The album would begin the second phase of her career and launch the 44-year old singer into the stratosphere led by her biggest hit "What's Love Got To Do With It". Other hits would follow including "Better Be Good To Me", the title track "Private Dancer" and "Show Some Respect". 

In 1985, Turner would appear in the movie Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and would score the hit "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)". She also collaborated with Bryan Adams on his song, "It's Only Love." Turner's follow up album Break Every Rule would also enjoy success when it was released in 1986 featuring her second number one hit, "Typical Male". During this period, Turner's popularity rivaled that of Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince and Bruce Springsteen. She would end the 1980's with the hit, "Simply The Best".

The hits would slow in the 1990's, but Turner would remain in the public eye with the 1993 movie What's Love Got To Do With It starring Angela Bassett as Turner and Laurence Fishburne as Ike Turner. Turner would continue to tour until announcing her retirement in 2000. She made a brief comeback in 2008-2009 beginning with a much-heralded appearance at The Grammys singing "Proud Mary" with Beyonce (with John Fogerty watching on in approval in the audience) before embarking on her final world tour. 

Turner would spend the last decade of her life in Switzerland with her new husband. During this time, she would put together a musical based on her life called Tina: The Tina Turner Musical which debuted on the London stage in 2018 and on Broadway in 2019. I leave you with Turner performing "River Deep, Mountain High" at the 1989 Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame ceremonies. R.I.P.