Tina Turner
In 1984, after years rebuilding her career following her split from Ike Turner, Tina Turner released 'Private Dancer.' The single 'What's Love Got to Do with It' hit number one and made her, at 44, the oldest solo woman to top the Hot 100, sealing one of music's greatest comebacks.
Nutbush Beginnings
Born Anna Mae Bullock in 1939 in Tennessee, she rose to fame in the 1960s as the explosive lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Their fiery live shows made the duo R&B legends.
The Great Comeback
After leaving Ike Turner in 1976, she rebuilt from scratch. The 1984 album 'Private Dancer' and its number one single 'What's Love Got to Do with It' delivered one of pop's most celebrated career resurrections.
Queen of Rock 'n' Roll
Selling over 100 million records and earning 12 Grammys, Turner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. She died in Switzerland in 2023 at age 83.
Career Timeline
- 1939Born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26 in Tennessee
- 1960Rises to fame in Ike & Tina Turner duo
- 1976Leaves Ike Turner and the act
- 1984'Private Dancer' relaunches her as solo star
- 1984'What's Love Got to Do with It' hits number one
- 1985Wins three Grammys; stars in 'Mad Max'
- 1988Plays record-setting Rio crowd of 180,000+
- 1991Inducted into Rock Hall with Ike Turner
- 1993Biopic 'What's Love Got to Do with It' released
- 2021Inducted into Rock Hall as solo artist
- 2023Dies May 24 in Kusnacht, Switzerland, aged 83
Biggest Hits
- Her 1988 concert in Rio de Janeiro drew a crowd estimated at over 180,000, one of the largest for a solo artist.
- She became a Swiss citizen in 2013 and spent her final years in Kusnacht, near Zurich.
Portrait: Helge Overas · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons