Tina Turner has passed away at the age of 83 – after a tragic life including the death of her son and an abusive ex-husband.
The Queen of Rock and Roll passed away today after a long battle with ill health, but her life had been full of tragedy. Her son Ronnie passed away at the end of last year at the age of 62 whilst her son Craig died back in 2018 at the age of 59 in an apparent suicide.
She has also battled ill health for a number of years – including a stroke, kidney failure and intestinal cancer – and spoke of her mental health suffering in the wake of the abuse from her ex-husband Ike Turner. Tina also had opened up about her own suicide attempt.
Son Ronnie's sudden death
Tina's son Ronnie died in late 2022, he was just 62.
Tina paid a heartfelt tribute to her son Ronnie after he died 'outside his home' after 'having a hard time breathing'. He passed away in 2022 after being 'found unresponsive by neighbours'. She paid an emotional tribute to her son.
"Ronnie, you left the world far too early. In sorrow I close my eyes and think of you, my beloved son," she penned whilst Ronnie's wife Afida also posted a tribute to Ronnie on Instagram, where she said: "My god Ronnie Turner a true angel, huge soul, highly spiritual. My husband, my best friend, my baby, your mummy, your nurse. I did the best to the end.
"This time I was not able to save you. Love you for 17 years this is very very very bad. I am very mad. This is a tragedy. You with your brother Craig and your father IKe and Aline. Rest in paradise. So unfair."
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The break up of her marriage
Tina has been open about the end of her marriage to her ex-husband Ike Turner, after she admitted she tried to take her own life in order to escape husband Ike's brutal treatment.
She recalled how she, seven years after they married, swallowed 50 sleeping pills that had been prescribed to her by her doctor.
Asking herself why she snapped "on an ordinary day in 1968" she said: "For starters, there were three women at the house at the time, and Ike was having sex with all of them. Three of us were named Ann – which meant he only had to remember one name."
However, she eventually found peace with what he had done – and vowed to move forward with her life.
She said: " I wouldn’t change a thing. I embrace the entirety of my life’s journey.
"Each part has contributed to me becoming who I am today, and I’m very happy now. There were a number of difficult experiences that could have shattered me, but instead became fuel for my journey, propelling me upward."
Tina turned to meditation to help her cope with things on from that moment.
"After I attempted suicide, I felt that I was still alive because I had a purpose, a mission to accomplish in life. And after surviving years of abuse, I knew I had an innate resilience I could tap into. If I could increase that, I knew I could become unshakably happy and make my dreams come true," she added of how she coped with what happened to her.
Son Craig's tragic death
In 2018, her son Craig Raymond died at the age of 59 in an apparent suicide after being found with gun. Tina's ex-husband Ike adopted Craig but his biological father was Kings of Rhythm saxophonist Raymond Hill, who was a member of Ike's band.
"I think Craig was lonely, that’s what I think really got him more than anything else," she said in 2019, a year after his death, "I have pictures all around of him smiling, and I think I’m sensing that he’s in a good place. I really do."
In another interview, she added: " I still don’t know what took him to the edge. At that stage he had said to me that he had never met a woman that he felt that way about. He was bringing her to meet me [for] his birthday in August.
"He had decorated his apartment, that I bought him years ago. He had gotten a new job with a prominent real estate company in California, which he was very happy with. I have no idea what pulled him down, except something that followed him with loneliness."
*If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
*If you need help, call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247 - it's run by charity Refuge and the free number is in operation 24 hours a day.
