‘American-born singer Tina Turner, who abandoned a tough farming community and an abusive relationship to become one of the top recording artists of all time, died Wednesday at the age of 83.
Her representative said she died peacefully at her home in Kusnacht, near Zurich, Switzerland, after a long illness.
Turner began her career in the early years of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s and developed into an MTV phenomenon.
In the video for her chart-topping song “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” in which she called love a “second-hand emotion,” Turner epitomized 1980s style as she strutted through New York City streets with her spiky blond hair, wearing a cropped jean jacket, mini skirt and stiletto heels.
Dubbed the “Queen of Rock and Roll,” Turner won six of eight Grammy Awards in the 1980s.
In that decade, she charted 12 Top 40 songs, including “Typical Mail,” “The Best,” “Private Dancer,” and “Better Be Good To Me.” Her performance in Rio de Janeiro in 1988 drew her 180,000 people, which is still her one of the largest concert-goers of any single artist.
