Tina Turner, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, Dies at 83

Tina Turner, the singer, dancer, actress and author dubbed the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” has died at the age of 83 in her home near Zurich, Switzerland, according to a representative. Turner’s career spanned nearly all of the second half of the 20th century and beyond, but received most of her acclaim during the 1980s when she released hits like “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and “Private Dancer” from her 1984 album Private Dancer.

She began her career in Ike Turner’s band in 1957, gaining popularity in the 1960s and 1970s as half of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. But it was as a solo artist the following decade where the Queen truly reigned, playing to a record-breaking 180,000 people at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro in 1986 during her Break Every Rule World Tour.

Her acting career began in 1976, playing the Acid Queen in the film version of The Who’s rock opera Tommy. She also had roles in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and Last Action Hero and was the author of four books.

She moved to Switzerland in the 1990s, where, in 2013, she married her longtime boyfriend German music executive Erwin Bach and become a Swiss citizen.

Listen to a 1984 interview with Tina Turner from Paste’s podcast, The Archive, below, as well as an exclusive 1970 performance by Ike & Tina Turner at the Newport Jazz Festival:

Tina Turner, Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Dies at 83

(1939-2023)