Ike Turner: 1931-2007

Every chronicle of Ike Turner's life has to face the man's two sides. Turner was a musical innovator and a dynamic performer whose onstage exploits were quickly overshadowed by his offstage drug abuse and domestic problems. For many, the lasting image of Turner will be something akin to Laurence Fishburne's portrayal of him in the Tina Turner biopic What's Love Got To Do With It. The same passions that drove him to excel as an artist reportedly turned him into a monster on the homefront.

Turner died yesterday at the age of 76 in his San Marcos, Calif. home. There was no immediate word on the cause of death. The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer leaves a legacy behind that includes "Rocket 88," a 1951 tune featuring Turner on guitar that stands as one of rock 'n' roll's first recordings. His touring revue with wife Tina Turner consistently wowed audiences. The couple turned in a spiced-up cover of John Fogerty's "Proud Mary," and would later receive the Phil Spector treatment on the classic "River Deep, Mountain High."

Only after the pair had separated did Tina begin to tell the story of Ike's abusive behavior. His reputation took a further hit with a series of drug-related arrests in the '70s and '80s, culminating with a 1990 arrest on cocaine charges. Turner was in a prison cell when he and his wife were inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame.

But the past few years saw a resurgence from Turner, including a Grammy win last year for his album Risin' with the Blues. The album is also nominated for the 2008 Independent Music Awards.

"It doesn’t matter if I invented rock ‘n’ roll, because it didn’t make me any money,” Turner told the Chicago Tribune in 2001. “I made $60 from ‘Rocket 88’: Six-oh. I don’t care about the glamour or the money. I don’t care about the nominations and Grammys, all that bull. I just care about making people happy - getting onstage and getting everybody going.”

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