A rock 'n' roll icon with a country music past, Tina Turner died on Wednesday (May 24) at age 83.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner," read an announcement on Turner's Facebook page. "With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow. Today we say goodbye to a dear friend who leaves us all her greatest work: her music. All our heartfelt compassion goes out to her family. Tina, we will miss you dearly."
A native of Brownsville, Tenn., Turner (birth name Anna Mae Bullock) was born on Nov. 26, 1939. Her career in music began in the late '50s and was then intertwined with that of her first spouse, Ike Turner.
As Ike & Tina Turner, the couple became a definitive recording act of the '60s and '70s behind such hits as "River Deep— Mountain High" and "Proud Mary."
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Turner went solo in 1974 with the covers-heavy country album Tina Turns the Country On! It earned her a Grammy nomination (Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female). Ten years and several sonic and aesthetic changes later, Turner transcended genre labels with the global success of her 1984 album Private Dancer.
A run of solo stardom that lasted through her final album, 1999's Twenty Four Seven, solidified Turner's status as a generational talent. In the process, the one-of-a-kind vocalist set the bar high for pop and rock stage presence.
In more recent years, Turner has lived in Switzerland with her spouse, Erwin Bach.
No word yet on Turner's cause of death. The Guardian reported that she "had suffered ill health in recent years, being diagnosed with intestinal cancer in 2016 and having a kidney transplant in 2017."
