The iconic and influential Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, Tina Turner died on May 24, 2023 at the age of 83. She was among the dearly-departed legends honored during the 2024 Grammys, which aired Sunday (Feb. 4) on CBS.
Following such stirring moments as Annie Lennox's Sinead O'Connor tribute and Stevie Wonder's homage to Tony Bennett, "American Idol" Season 3 winner and "The Color Purple" star Fantasia Barrino led a musical ode to Turner.
Barrino wore a gold, fringed dress in the style of Turner— as did an army of harmonizing backup dancers. Together, they all sang one of Turner's most rocking standards, "Proud Mary."
After entering the audience in search for dance partners, Barrino shared Grammys moments with both Dua Lipa and Beyonce.
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Beforehand, Oprah Winfrey introduced Barrino following a speech about Turner.
"Tina's voice continues to speak to all of us," Winfrey said during the broadcast.
It wasn't the first Turner tribute of the night. Earlier, Miley Cyrus name-dropped Turner as a hero before the live TV debut of Cyrus' "Flowers." The subsequent performance pointed back to Turner, through both Cyrus' frilly stage outfit and her fiery on-stage workout.
Throughout her career, Turner won eight Grammy Awards. Turner recorded "Proud Mary," originally written by John Fogerty and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival, in 1971.
"When we cut the album, we were lacking a few tunes, so we said, 'Well, let's just put in a few things that we're doing onstage," Tina Turner once said about recording the timeless track (quote via Rolling Stone). "And that's how 'Proud Mary' came about."
