Celebrities and the White House pay tribute to Tina Turner : NPR

Tina Turner, pop and R&B singer, holds up a Grammy Award, February 27, 1985, in Los Angeles. Turner, the unstoppable singer and performer, died Tuesday after a long illness at her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland, according to her manager. She was 83 years old.

Nick Ut/AP

hide caption

toggle caption

Nick Ut/AP

Tina Turner, pop and R&B singer, holds up a Grammy Award, February 27, 1985, in Los Angeles. Turner, the unstoppable singer and performer, died Tuesday after a long illness at her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland, according to her manager. She was 83 years old.

Nick Ut/AP

The news of Tina Turner’s death reverberated on social media, with various celebrities and the White House react to the news by sending their condolences. The death of the rock and roll pioneer at her home in Switzerland was announced on Wednesday. She was 83 years old.

Actress Angela Bassett, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Turner in her biopic What’s love got to do with it? wrote on Instagram: “How can we say goodbye to a woman who took on her pain and trauma and used it as a way to help change the world? Through her courage to tell her story, her commitment to staying the course in her life, no matter the sacrifice and her determination to carve out a place in rock and roll for herself and others like her, Tina Turner showed those who lived in fear what a beautiful future filled with love, compassion and freedom should look like.”

Singer Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, who has spoken of Turner’s influence on her, previously paid tribute to the icon during a performance at the 2005 Kennedy Center Honors. The duo performed together at the 2008 Grammys.

Knowles-Carter said Wednesday, “My Beloved Queen. I love you so much. I am so grateful for your inspiration and all the paths you have blazed. You are strength and resilience. You are the embodiment of power and of passion. We are all so lucky to have witnessed your kindness and beautiful spirit that will remain forever. Thank you for all that you have done.

Mick Jagger, a member of The Rolling Stones and who often toured with Turner, said: “I am so saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend Tina Turner. She was truly an extremely talented performer and singer. She was inspiring, warm, funny and generous. She helped me so much when I was young and I will never forget her.”

President Joe Biden released a statement in which he and his wife praised Turner’s accomplishments despite the adversities she faced. “Jill and I send our love and prayers to her husband Erwin, the rest of the Turner family and the fans around the world who today mourn the woman they say was ‘simply the best’.”

Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama also paid tribute to Turner. Obama said: “Tina Turner was raw. She was powerful. She was unstoppable. And she was shameless herself – speaking and singing her truth through joy and pain; triumph and tragedy. Today we join fans around the world in honoring the queen of rock and roll and a star whose light will never go out.”

Clinton said: “I loved Tina Turner and will never forget meeting her when she came to Little Rock for a concert after releasing Private Dancer in 1984. We met again on her 67th birthday at St. Petersburg, where she and Elton John sang for a charity event. She still had it – talent, style, energy and authenticity – an invaluable gift to music lovers everywhere. May she rest in peace.

Singer Mariah Carey said: “The words legendary, iconic, diva and superstar are often overused and yet Tina Turner embodies them all and more – an incredible performer, musician and trailblazer. To me she will always be a survivor and an inspiration to women everywhere. Her music will continue to inspire generations to come. Rest in Peace, Queen.

“I started out as a Tina Turner fan, then a full-fledged groupie, following her from show to show across the country, and then, eventually, we became real friends,” the media mogul said. Oprah Winfrey. “She’s our eternal rock ‘n’ roll goddess who contained a breadth of inner strength that grew throughout her life. She was a role model not just to me but to the world.”

Turner, known for her raspy voice and vigorous dance moves, first rose to prominence as a rhythm and blues singer, then overcame years of abuse and found a second wind as a rock singer. internationally acclaimed star.

She had hit songs, such as “Proud Mary”, “Private Dancer”, “The Best” and “What’s Love Got to Do With It?”, which she released at age 44. This song reached number one on the Billboard. Hot 100 chart.

She’s also won eight Grammys, received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice — in 1991, for the duet she starred in with ex-husband Ike Turner, and in 2021. alone. .