The inspiring life of Tina Turner

Tina Turner, the queen of Rock and Roll, passed away at the age of 83 on 24 May 2023 at Küsnacht in Switzerland. Turner rightfully embodied the phoenix who rose from the ashes. A feminist icon and an inspiration to many around the world, she never let her personal and professional struggles define her. 

She cemented herself as a vocal powerhouse as part of the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, but her solo career established her as the global icon and legend we know today. Her choice to speak up publicly about the domestic violence and marital abuse she experienced was groundbreaking in the '80s, at a time when discussing such issues was taboo, even in the West. She brought light to the fact that domestic violence is widespread across all strata of society. 

She fled her tormentor and abusive husband Ike Turner in 1978 with nothing but 36 cents and a Mobil card. Ike was her captor and boss, controlling her career and personal life, even having trademarked her stage name, Tina Turner. In the divorce proceeding, she did not ask for any wealth and song rights, she only wanted to keep her stage name as a means to salvage her career. 

Post-divorce, lawsuits were mounting up for the cancelled Ike and Tina Turner gigs. She had to start all over from scratch, to rid herself of debt. She performed at television shows, clubs, hotels, and cabaret shows as a nostalgia act, before finding global success with her fifth studio album Private Dancer. Becoming a rock star at age 42, she really was proof that age is merely just a number. 

Her career could have headed towards obscurity, she could have lost it all. But her grit, determination, hope, and positivity led her to be the global powerhouse with songs charting for seven consecutive decades. 

Her renaissance and courage to be open about the struggles she had to endure inspired millions of girls around the world. She is the shining beacon of light and hope for domestic abuse survivors. She is proof that there is a better life out there, away from captivity, disrespect, and violence. 

When she let the ghosts of her past out, with interviews and autobiographies, she thought that it would mark the end of this harrowing chapter of her life. But the relentless media curiosity rarely let her forget the brutality she experienced

Despite it all, she never let her age and her past life define her character, her personality, her talents, and her career. She forged ahead, with smashing hits after hits, setting Guinness World Records by selling out the Maracana Stadium, singing in front of 188,000 people. 

Her story of being raised in a small town to rising to global superstardom is the epitome of perseverance, determination, optimism, and rare talent. From her unique, powerful vocals to her magnetising dance on stage, she is the definition of an icon, a legend. A woman so full of life, grace, and vitality that it is hard to fathom that she is not among us anymore. We hope and pray that she finds peace and tranquility on the other side.