News

Tina Turner dies aged 83

1939-2023

By Paul Sinclair

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39

As you will no doubt be aware by now, the legendary singer Tina Turner has died aged 83.

By way of tribute, SDE recommends you read our 2014 interview with Martyn Ware when he spoke warmly of working with Tina on her Private Dancer album which had just turned 30 at that time.

Ware also took to social media earlier today and said the following: “Tina has given immense pleasure to millions of people – everyone loved her, and she loved everyone right back. She was the most extraordinary performer I’ve ever recorded with, and the world is a much poorer place for her passing… There can never be another Tina”.

Rest in peace, Tina Turner.

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39 Comments

39 thoughts on “Tina Turner dies aged 83”

  2. She left an indelible mark in pop music. Her energy was unstoppable, she was wild, sexy, powerful, but she could also be restrained, sweet and tender, was amazing in her versatility, and she indeed seemed a nice person, carrying around her heavy personal baggage. People could feel her raw energy and authenticity and loved her for it. I started following her from “Private Dancer” and I think one of her best moments musically was “Goldeneye”. We read and hear so many opinions after one of the greats has left us, but I think it is no exaggeration to say that there will never be another woman like her.

  3. Such sad news ! This lady must have covered every music genre at sometime . Foreign affair album simply stunning . Unique artist thanks tina for sharing your treasures with us !

  4. Tina was a true force of nature and I regret I started to appreciate her artistry too late, when she was retired for a little less than ten years. I caught on YouTube the video for “Be Tender With Me Baby” (live during the 1990 tour, I suppose) and my heart stood still. She was really the queen of rock ‘n’ roll. And always will be.

  5. One of the very few performers to transform average meterial to a listening experience. A true giant on the stage. Autotune probably was an unknown meaning for her sound engineer. I remember to be a 12 years old boy and listen for the first time “what’s love”. Wow! Thank you for everything Tina!

  10. Very very sad news. Bit upsetting to read this news this morning. I remember seeing her on the Tube late 1983 I think doing “Lets stay together” with Heaven 17 on backing vocals. It was a stunning performance, charisma & star quality by the bucket & a voice to match.

    She was amazing & will be very missed.

    RIP Tina. Love to your family & friends XXXXX

  11. With word of Tina’s passing, I admit I was not immediately gutted… Always liked her, but never a fave cuz she wasn’t much of a songwriter & I never got to see her live, but I did buy her 80s albums on tape then…and bought original versions of songs she covered, like by Holly Knight’s first band Spider…and one of the first albums I bought on CD was Foreign Affair, which I enjoyed…and noticed that Tina, Cher & Bonnie Tyler seemed to do the same material, but the lack of songwriting was always a big problem for me, I could not get away from that…anyhoo, yesterday, I wanted to see the tributes, saw plenty, all heartfelt, by fellow artists, Mick Jagger’s & Elton John’s cut deep, as did Oprah & Angela Bassett…then I watched this one on YouTube by this musician/producer Rick Beato, who did one on Gordon Lightfoot, and he made me realize how good of a singer Tina really was, her way of injecting her individuality into every song she did, her passion & soul…yes she occasionally wrote (like Nutbush City Limits) & I wish she wrote more…but I think her biggest talent was, besides performing & her dancing…those legs jeez…the way she transformed covers into definitive versions, like “Better Be Good to Me” by Holly Knight’s Spider from 1981, like “Proud Mary”…the only other person to do that on that level was the late Johnny Cash, the way he did “Hurt”…I guess Tina left a huge hole with her passing, because I did not realize all this until yesterday, or how much I missed her…I wish I saw her live & met her cuz she seemed like a class act & just so cool, nice, fun & real… makes sense she was more loved overseas than in the US cuz they appreciated her qualities when she was alive & most Americans are too late in realizing it now…just saw they are paying tribute in NYC at the Apollo Theatre…now bring on the Steel Claw that is “Private Dancer” for the properly done 40th Anniversary boxset!!!

      1. I must respond to this keyboard warrior.
        Larry Davis said a lot of things about Tina Turner, most of which were a simple appreciation.
        It is neither sexist nor an insult to mention Turner’s legs. She showcased them for decades, they were spectacular and they were definitely a part of her iconic image.
        People need to pause and think about what they are defending or attacking.

      2. I’d imagine Tina was very proud of her legs and would enjoy Larry’s appreciation of them. After all, its a compliment, along with the other nice things Larry said about her.

    2. Why is it if the drummer, the bass player, the guitarist, the bassist, the keyboard player, or any other musician in the band doesn’t write the music, no one cares, but when it’s a singer it somehow impinges them? She was the greatest vocalist of the last 60 years, at least, cut new roadways into the world o frock and rol both for women and people of color, served as a strong role model for victims of domestic violence, and was one of the hardest working people in show business. I think that’s more than enough to celebrate her for.

    3. Wow who cares if she wasn’t a songwriter. Not everyone can write music or wants to. Do you not realize that there are quite a lot of songwriters who can’t sing? Her legs were her biggest talent? What a ridiculous comment to make. Tina sang better than most and what a brilliant performer. Your comments about the US are just as silly. For example, Break Every Rule did amazing in the US but not in the UK. We adored her here and she had many solo hits. Maybe you should do some basic research before commenting.

      1. Larry Davis did not state that Turner’s legs were her “biggest talent”. Read what was written. It was simply a personal reflection for Davis.
        It’s also true that Turner felt very comfortable living in Europe, away from the apartheid of the US.

  12. Really sad news. Played the Acid Queen as soon as I heard. Saw the stage show just a month or two ago, really inspirational. I was alerted to a couple of Dylan covers on the Tina Turns The Country On album from 1974 and they are fantastic, such energy. RIP.

  13. David Bowie famously described a Tina Turner cocnert as “the hottest place in the universe”.
    I know this to be true as I saw her perform twice, 20 years apart, in 1987 and her last London gig in 2009.
    Each time she shone brighter than a supernova. What energy! What charisma! What memories! A true star.
    Simply the best.

  14. Really gutted. We’re losing a lot of the greats now, but Tina stood head and shoulders above a lot. She was a musical powerhouse, but also a survivor.

    I, like others, celebrated her today by listening to the Private Dancer album, and reading (as Paul suggested) the interview with Martyn Ware on this site.

    Just a sad day, rest in peace Tina, up there beyond the thunderdome.

  15. Her life, obviously, was truly legendary. Think about the fact she was 48 in 1985 when she had a hit single with the title track from a movie she starred in, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, with We Don’t Need another Hero was incredible. She led, we followed. RIP.

  16. Very sad news. Been listening today to the Private Dancer LP I picked up at a local car boot sale for a couple of quid many years ago and though I hadnt yet had a chance to open the CD box sets of Foreign Affair & Break Every Rule I figured today was a good day to do so. She was a very talented lady who as others have observed had been through alot of hardship in her earlier life and though I never saw her in concert I do at least have the DVDs of her in concert that came as part of the box sets to watch which I look forward to doing. Will probably watch Mad Max 3 as well at some point for though it wasn’t my favourite of the Max films she did play a brilliant part in it as “Auntie”. For anyone else interested I noticed that the BBC have a few of their documentaries on her including a live at the BBC type thing of various concerts of hers up on the iPlayer at present. Rest In Peace Tina and thank you for bringing us your talent to the world.

  17. One of the all time great singers , I have vivid memories of hearing River Deep, Mountain High played by my mum in the early 1970s when I was a child on her “gram” and was amazed by her vocal even then. I also remember fondly seeing her as a teenager on the “Tube” special tv show on channel 4, and been knocked out by her performance which I feel had a massive impact at the time and no doubt helped sell the Private Dancer album ( which really didn’t need much help as it was so good ). I could go on and on. Sadly I didn’t see her live my mums cousin was and is a big fan and saw her many times on her stadium tours and is very sad today. RIP a true great who was strong enough to get through many hard times, and came through even stronger . A true role model for women. She will be missed.

  18. A truly remarkable performer, legend and icon. I was lucky enough to see her live in concert in 1992 and was blown away by her performance and stage presence. Her legacy will live on forever. Thank you Tina for all your incredible contributions to music and rest in peace.

    1. Correction to the year I saw Tina: I saw her on July 10, 1993 at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center (I checked Wikipedia for the date).

  19. Just so sad, Tina Turner first got me with Nutbush and Rhode Island Red in the early seventies and left it at that then Private Dancer appeared and with the following albums and songs she truely became an iconic legend. Never saw her live but the dvd’s i have left me breathless. Rock on The Acid Queen.

  20. Yes a very sad day Tina Turner an absolute icon a legend who had a long successful career giving us many great songs over the years, my absolute favorite song by Tina is “Better Be Good To Me’’ featuring the wonderful guitar riffing by Jamie West-Oram of The Fixx and their lead singer Cy Curnin who comes on the stage about halfway through and joins Tina as they move around encircling each other, you can just feel they had a lot of fun doing this video…RIP Tina Turner.

    2. Better Be Good to Me was a cover by Holly Knight’s first band Spider from 1981, from their 2nd & final album, and usually, the original is the definitive version, BUT in rare cases, a singer does a cover of it & rewires it & theirs becomes definitive, and Tina did it with Better Be Good to Me…like Johnny Cash did with “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails…with word that she passed away, I played her Platinum Collection & Holly Knight’s stuff, and the Spider albums are great but Tina took every song she recorded and made em iconic…the original BBGTM just felt a little odd without Tina’s voice…

  22. I felt bad when I heard about this last night. She was a proper legend. A world without a legend like her, who seemed immortal and ageless felt like she’d be around forever. What a sadder world without her in it.

  23. Very sad news. Tina’s music has always put me in a “happy” place.
    I first saw Tina in 1976/77 at the Perth Entertainment Centre as The Ike & Tina Turner Revue. I have to this day not seen a more energetic show. It really was mind boggling to a 19 year old kid. Whilst we all know the heartaches that Ike caused, their music was next level. Have a listen to the studio album “Working Together” or the stunner live album “What You Hear Is What You Get”.
    I then saw her solo on her Private Dancer tour. Stunning.
    She will be greatly missed and she was “Simply The Best”

    Check this out – Tina singing Simply The Best at the Australia National Rugby League Grand Final in 1993
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-14FAwiWF1Q

  27. A marvellous artist.
    And most importantly a lovely lady, as seemed to transpire from interviews and apparently was confirmed by people who met her.
    An example of how, quite often, humble origins and hardships in life cannot bend a good soul, but only add wisdom and sensitivity to their character.
    As always, gratitude goes to one of the greatest stars that has populated the soundtrack to our lives.

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