Original subtitles

- Some people called me foolish woman.

I think it took a smart woman to live with a man

and to live in that situation.

- (Narrator) The sad passing of the legendary Tina Turner

shines a new spotlight on her illustrious career,

an undeniable star quality.

- I have sicknesses and I moved from America to Switzerland

and retirement set in and things changed.

- Tina Turner is irreplaceable.

There will never be someone else that has seen

all those different shifts in culture and history

that she did and lived through it, rode the waves

and really, really was able to ride above it

and reinvent herself as a true survivor.

- Queen of survival, the queen of reinvention.

And she's a legendary singer and performer.

- I love Tina Turner.

I mean, she was such an icon and a survivor

and her voice like just as a vocalist,

like just listening to what she did with her voice.

There's no way to describe it.

- (Narrator) With over 100 million records sold,

Tina is one of the best selling recording artists

of all time.

She has overcome incredible hardship

with an infectious love for life

and a perspective on existence that transcends her music.

- People till see me as Tina.

I will always be Tina to them because

they only see me on stage.

- She went through horrible physical and emotional abuse.

She went through all of the racial inequality

that was happening in the south when she grew up.

She went through the star system,

which rejected her initially after she was by herself

without Ike, all the health issues.

And through the whole thing,

she remained just positive and sexy and fantastic,

and just showing what a woman could be.

- Our Queen Tina, our icon.

She means everything.

- She'll be so greatly missed.

Those high heels will never be properly filled

by anyone else.

- (Narrator) The legacy of Tina Turner

is that of a trailblazer, an icon,

and a rock and roll legend.

She will forever remain simply the best.

* You're simply the best *

* Better than all the rest *

* Better than anyone *

* Anyone I ever met *

* I'm stuck on your heart *

* I hang on every word *

- (Narrator) Tina Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock

on November 26th, 1939.

Had a difficult and turbulent childhood.

She was raised in Nutbush, Tennessee,

a small rural town with a population

of just a few hundred people.

Her parents, Floyd and Zelma Bullock were sharecroppers

who struggled to make ends meet.

Tina's parents' relationship was tumultuous

and her father was physically abusive toward her mother.

The family lived in a small house without running water,

and Tina's early years were marked by poverty,

hardship, and insecurity.

When Tina was just 11 years old,

her parents separated and her mother moved

to St. Louis, Missouri to start a new life

with Tina's older sister Alene.

Tina and her younger sister Evelyn,

were left behind in Nutbush to be raised

by their grandmother.

Tina's grandmother was a strict Baptist

who disapproved of secular music that Tina loved

and she forbade her from listening to it.

- Her father was physically abusive to her mother

and this caused the mom just feeling she had no way out.

She actually abandoned the whole family

and ran away when Tina was just 11 years old.

And this, of course just created absolute chaos

for poor Tina.

- Tina and her sisters forged a while after

to live with their mother.

In between, they lived with strict grandparents

and then back with her mom and dad before her mom left.

- (Dr. Jen) She was sent to live with her grandparents

in St. Louis at that point.

And that's, I think when she first started getting

into music and where she first encountered Ike Turner.

- (Narrator) Despite the challenges she faced,

Tina found solace in singing

and she often performed in the church choir.

As a teenager, Tina moved to St. Louis

to join her mother and sister after her grandmother's death.

It was in St. Louis that Tina's life would change forever.

- Tina first saw Ike Turner at the Manhattan Club

when he was touring with his band King of Rhythms.

And it wasn't till 1967 though

she was titillated, she was interested,

she wanted to perform,

but Ike was firmly against women performing with them.

He'd had a couple other singers that were female,

did not work out.

But in 1967, Tina was able to get on stage and grab the mic,

and that gave her her in with Ike.

He saw a possibility there and he agreed

to let Tina perform with him.

- Now, before that she had sung, you know, in church,

that kind of thing, but never really sung on the stage.

* You must be losing your mind *

- * I started * - * Started what? *

* Started making wedding plans *

- * Oh really? * - * Oh yeah *

* If your love is half as true *

* As the love I offer you, oh darling *

* I think it's gonna work out fine *

* Everybody! *

* I keep on telling ya *

* It's gonna work out fine *

- When Tina first started performing at the age of 17,

occasionally with Ike and the Kings of Rhythm,

her name was actually Anna Mae Bullock.

Ike made her change her name to something else,

and he went with the name Tina

'cause it reminded him of Sheena,

like Sheena of the Jungle.

And he thought, you know,

the thing is he'd already had some different female singers

come in and out of the band.

And his idea was if Tina left,

he could then trademark the name

because he had the Turner at the end, which was him.

He was Ike Turner.

So by Tina Turner, it would be a part

of the whole Ike brand.

So you could just replace Tina with somebody else.

And that was at that stage that Anna became known as Tina

to the world.

- (Narrator) Upon hearing her sing,

Turner asked her if she knew more songs.

She sang the rest of the night

and became a featured vocalist with this band.

During this period, Ike became her mentor

and taught her more about vocal performance.

- So in 1960, Ike Turner had written "A Fool In Love,"

and he'd actually written it for another female band member,

but that band member didn't turn up to sing the song.

So he gave it to Anna Mae Bullock at the time to sing

and she sung the song and she absolutely killed it.

So he was convinced to make her, you know,

the front woman of the band.

- (Narrator) That is how Tina's career took off.

As she teamed up with the legendary Ike,

they created some of the most electrifying music of the era

with her powerhouse voice, stunning looks

and magnetic stage presence,

Tina captivated audiences around the world

and quickly became a star in her own right.

- The first recorded song was "A Fool In Love."

That was their first really big breakthrough

that was followed with "River Deep Mountain High,"

which is a song you can still turn on the classic radio

and you will hear that song that and "Proud Mary,"

you'll hear it, that's it.

There was like classic songs that really put

Ike and Tina Turner as a duo on the map

and firmly in that same canon

as classic artists from that time period.

- And that was really the song that introduced Tina Turner

to the world, but also really introduced,

even though the Kings of Rhythm, Ike's band,

had been doing their thing in nightclubs

and around St. Louis,

that's really what propelled them to go national as well.

So a "A Fool in Love" was really the breakthrough song

for Tina Turner, for Ike Turner,

and for the band at that point, as well.

- (Narrator) As Ike and Tina Turner's fame grew

they embarked on international tours

and performed to sold out crowds

in some of the most prestigious venues around the world.

Their hit songs like "River Deep Mountain High,"

"Proud Mary" and "Nutbush City Limits"

became instant classics

and cemented their place in music history.

They also became known for their dynamic live performances

with Tina's powerful vocals

and Ike's guitar and piano skills driving the music,

Tina and the revue's backup singers, the Ikettes,

choreographed intricate and electrifying dance routines

into their performances

and influenced many other artists,

including Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones

for whose 1966 UK tour they opened.

- Touring with the Rolling Stones

allowed Ike and Tina Turner and their band

to go global almost.

You know, introduced them to a new audience.

It allowed them to make songs on the road as well.

They had many more hits in the R&B chart,

but also they did loads of television performances

like on TNT and things like that.

And that introduced them to a new audience,

every city they were in as well.

So as well as being on tour

and being introduced to all these new audiences,

they were able to make songs

and they were able to hit television as well.

And more people got to see Tina Turner.

And she herself kind of came through as this star

and started to have fame in her own right,

away from Ike Turner and the Kings of Rhythm

away from Ike and Tina Turner Revue.

Tina Turner started to establish herself.

- Kings of Rhythm morphed into the Ike and Tina Revue

because Ike saw the natural talent that Tina had

and they ended up opening up for the Rolling Stones.

And this is of course, we're in late sixties or early seventies,

and some of their hits started getting a lot of acclaim because

they literally had a stage now with the Rolling Stones,

a platform for people to hear and see that.

* And do I love you, my oh my *

* River deep, mountain high, yeah, yeah *

* If I lost you would I cry *

* Oh, how I love you, baby *

* Baby, baby *

- (Narrator) Their high energy cover version

of Credence Clearwater's Revival's 1968 "Proud Mary"

remains Turner's signature hit

and one of her longest enduring standards.

"Proud Mary" was the duo's greatest commercial success,

peaking at number four on the Billboard, Hot 100,

in March, 1971.

The single eventually won a Grammy for best R&B

Vocal performance by a duo or group.

- "Proud Mary" is a song that is definitely the best known

by Ike and Tina.

You hear it still now, all the time,

more up and coming bands now

and modern artists are covering it.

The reason it's such an incredible banger

is because starts off slow,

she even says, we'd like to do it nice and slow,

so you think it's gonna be this kind of rhythm and blues

just jazzy number.

And then as Tina sings,

gets faster and faster and faster

till finally at its crescendo, it has almost a frantic,

frenetic, "Proud Mary keep on burning"

And this, you can just almost--

I mean, I've seen her perform it so many times,

but you can, that energy is in the music itself,

even if you've never seen her, of just movement and speed.

It's absolutely incredible.

And that's what makes it such a classic.

* I left a good job in the city *

* Working for the man every night and day *

* But I never lost one minute of sleeping *

* Worrying 'bout the way things might've been *

* Big wheel keep on turning *

* Proud Mary keep on burning *

* Rolling *

* We're rolling *

* Rolling down the river *

* We're rolling, rolling, rolling down the river *

- So as the 1970s rumbled on,

even though Ike and Tina had had initial success

and some big breakout songs,

people started seeing them as a little bit old-fashioned

and not really with it.

You know, disco was up and coming,

their songs weren't changing with the times,

and they had questionable management issues with touring.

Cap all that off with the fact that

Ike had a voracious cocaine habit,

it just all added up to really career suicide in a lot of ways

and things were not,

even though they'd been on this fantastic trajectory,

suddenly things were not going that well.

And the wheels literally started to come off

the band and the show.

- (Narrator) However, the duo's relationship was tumultuous,

and Ike was often physically and emotionally abusive

towards Tina.

- At first Ike and Tina's relationship was great,

you know, they were young, they fell in love,

they got married, but as Ike's drug use continued,

he became increasingly violent towards Tina.

- Behind the glamorous stage show

and the supposed happy relationship of Ike and Tina

was a very abusive and horrendous

real life situation for Tina.

Ike was incredibly emotionally and physically abusive,

and Tina really saw no way out of this.

So for a majority of her marriage,

she just was quiet about it.

These were the days where you never talked about

these sorts of things happening in your home life.

In 1968, Tina felt like she had no way out,

literally no way out, no escape.

And her doctor had prescribed her sleeping pills

because she was having a lot of issues falling asleep.

And just one night she just thought, "You know what,

I'm never gonna, I'm living in hell right now with Ike

in this situation."

And she ended up taking the entire bottle of sleeping pills

in a desperate attempt to end her life

and therefore end the suffering that she was feeling.

- Some people called me foolish woman.

I think it took a smart woman to live with a man

and to live in that situation.

That's the credit I give myself.

And so when it looked like I possibly couldn't get out

because I was really afraid,

I planned, okay then I'll just die because

I'm really tired of everything, you know,

no hit records,

being blamed for Ike not being able to come up with hit records

because I wasn't singing properly.

And then the one night

when it really just got a bit too much

where crying didn't even help,

I took them all almost like in two swallows.

And I didn't regret any of it.

And actually when I opened my eyes,

I went, excuse expression, oh, (beep) I'm still here.

I really had planned to leave here.

And then I said, after I started feeling a bit better,

I said, well, that's not time yet then.

So that was that experience.

- It wasn't until July in 1976 when she was in Dallas,

Ike had an explosive rage, hit her, beat her badly,

and she somehow managed to literally run out the door

of the house that they were in,

run out the door like nothing.

She had no money, no bag, no nothing.

She just like ran out the door.

She saw her opportunity to leave and went to the Hilton

where she famously said, you know, "I'm Tina Turner,

please let me check in.

I'll do anything, I'll pay you back later."

And the fact that she just left

with literally only the clothes on her back

showed how desperate the situation was.

This scene is recreated in the incredibly dramatic

and emotionally moving biopic on Tina's life

called "What's Love Got To Do With It?"

And the actress Angela Bassett plays Tina.

And if nothing else in that movie stays with you,

it's that scene of this woman that's been pushed to the edge

of thinking nothing else matters.

It is literally fight or flight.

And she had gotten to the end

of being able to put up with the fight.

So she just had to leave the situation.

And it's absolutely heart-wrenching.

Heart-wrenching.

Angela Bassett does Tina proud in that scene.

- I'm Tina Turner,

my husband and I just had a fight.

I'm supposed to open at the Academy tonight.

I have 36 cents and a Mobil card,

but if you would give me a room,

I swear I will pay you back.

- No, no, no. That won't be necessary.

Now, Ms. Turner, I'd be honored, really.

- Every now and then, it was some fun, sometimes it was,

but I don't remember what it was.

But I remember there were days that was lighter and nicer,

but mostly he was just a really, always angry with me.

He treated me like I was a prisoner

and he was the guard.

- (Narrator) After their separation,

United Artists released two more studio albums

credited to the duo, "Delilah's Power" 1977,

and "Airwaves" 1978.

Despite the controversy surrounding their relationship,

Ike and Tina Turner's impact on the music

and popular culture is undeniable.

Their unique blend of rock, soul, and R&B

helped to shape the sound of modern music.

- I didn't know that the way out was through the door,

but that didn't come at the time.

I just thought totally helpless.

And when I was really, really, really fed up,

that's when I just took a chance

and said, come what may, and left.

I was just really tired of my life

and the situation I was in with Ike.

- When Ike died in 2007, Tina said she had no comment.

Everything had already been said, and I love that.

It's 1979.

Tina's finally broken up with Ike.

She decides I'm gonna try it on my own.

So she puts out a disco-esque record

and unfortunately the timing was horrific.

Disco was on the way out.

New Wave pop music of that kind was on the way in,

the record was an absolute flop.

Tina was seen as a has been.

Then the most miraculous thing happened.

She decided to give it another go.

And in 1983 she did a cover of "Let's Stay Together."

Brilliant, brilliant.

It was the lead single off the album "Private Dancer,"

which the cover itself is iconic.

Here you have Tina, who's been through all this stuff,

all these horrible things,

seen as someone that should be cast onto the,

out to the glue factory as being old and of no use anymore.

She's on the cover of this record with a tight fitting

black like leotard.

She has this fantastic set of legs in fishnet tights,

these huge black heels.

And she's this staring down the camera

with this fierce red lip.

Like, I challenge you not to listen to this record

and enjoy it.

And it is banger after banger after banger, you know,

first with "Let's Stay Together,"

then she has "What's Love Got To Do With It?"

Ugh, "Private Dancer," which if you see that video,

it is just, again, complete dagger heart-breaker.

It's the total rebirth of Tina.

Tina as an independent woman standing on her own two feet.

Everything's tinged with a melancholic sadness though.

But that kind of becomes part of the Tina brand.

And that I think is one of the reasons

she's such an important, important diva,

an important icon in general.

- So in the late 1970s after she'd left Ike

and left the band,

Tina was kind of considered a nostalgia act.

She was performing in hotel ballrooms,

doing cover versions, things like that.

And Roger Davies, a record exec,

agreed to manage her in 1979.

In 1981, she was invited by Rod Stewart to perform "Hot Legs".

She did a five-week tour in South Africa.

She was signed to Capitol Records off the back of that.

It was a massive hit,

and Capitol Records were surprised

at how much of a hit it was.

So then she was given two weeks to record the album,

"Private Dancer," which she did.

She just recorded the album in two weeks

and it was such a massive success.

And that was completely what turned it around

for Tina Turner.

You know, "Private Dancer" was very much the soft rock

of the eighties.

It was quite an unlikely sort of genre for Tina Turner

to make her way down, but she absolutely nailed it.

I think that's why the record company was so surprised

by the success of it.

But it ended up going, you know,

God knows how many times Platinum,

but that was really what propelled her to superstardom.

- (Narrator) "Private Dancer" contained several hit songs,

including the title track,

"What's Love Got To Do With It?" and "Better Be Good to Me,"

all of which showcase Tina's dynamic vocals,

electrifying stage presence, and fierce independence.

* You must try to ignore that it means more than that *

* Oh oh *

* What's love got to do, got to do with it? *

* What's love but a second hand emotion? *

* What's love got to do, got to do with it? *

* Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken? *

- When Tina was with Ike and The Revue,

she was singing more R&B.

It was almost strictly R&B.

"River Deep Mountain High" with Phil Spector

in the sixties was slightly different.

It was more pop, more orchestral.

But Tina always said that she loved rock music.

She'd always loved that genre.

And the version of "Let's Stay Together"

that she recorded kind of ventured into that.

Whereas "Private Dancer" really, really took that on.

It was classic soft rock.

And I think people were surprised

because she was a Black woman singing rock music.

It didn't make sense at the time.

Nobody else was doing it.

Rock and soft rock was a predominantly white genre.

And here was this black woman who was famous

for singing R&B music was suddenly singing

all these really iconic rock tracks.

It shouldn't have worked, but it really, really did.

* Let me be the one you come running to *

* I'll never be untrue *

* Let me say that since, baby, since we've been together *

* Ooh, loving you forever *

- So after a "Private Dancer" you had

"What's Love Got To Do With It?"

You know, all these iconic songs,

I mean, they're iconic now, they were just hits back then.

And if there's one thing about Tina Turner

is that she could span any age range.

So everybody loved her music,

white people loved her, Black people loved her,

which meant that she was selling out concerts all over the world.

So from France, Germany, Switzerland,

the United Kingdom to Brazil to, you know,

cities across America.

I think at one point in Brazil she had the highest selling

or the most amount of tickets sold for a concert

around 80,000 or something.

And if you see the footage of it, it's just incredible.

All these people, just like a sea of people

turned out to see her.

So she was doing these record-breaking tours,

and I think, again, no one expected it

because you have a Black woman singing rock music.

It doesn't really make sense.

But the point, or the beauty of it was,

is that she hooked up with the right producers.

She knew where to make the music.

You know, she recorded a lot of her music in London

using synthesizers, using different sounds

that she wasn't necessarily used to

with this iconic voice.

And just making hits on hits on hits.

- Tina's comeback was to the extreme.

It wasn't just record sales,

it wasn't just this new vision of Tina

as this sexy, sensual, surviving woman.

It was also her stage performance that was

absolutely literally setting the globe on fire.

In fact, in 1988, she set a record in Rio de Janeiro

for having the most concert attendees

of all time ever at a concert up to that point.

The record had actually been held by the band Queen

before Tina.

So Tina was a worthy person for them

to pass that mantle onto.

But again, Queen, amazing.

- Who are you here to see today?

- (Crowd) Tina. - That's right.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, we are gonna honor

Tina Turner today

with Star number 1,831

in Hollywood's famous Walk of Fame.

Today we honor Tina Turner for her many,

many outstanding achievements in recording.

- In 1991, Tina was inducted into

the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,

and it's a massive honor,

especially in the United States to have this.

However, Tina didn't show up,

she's just at that point in her career

'cause it was Ike and Tina Turner,

and it just was not something that she was interested

in being involved in, which I love that again,

it's like that Ike and Tina was behind her.

Tina Turner, the solo person, entity, artist,

survivor human was what she was now.

- (Paparazzi) Tina! Tina!

Tina!

- In 1995, Tina was presented with the song "Goldeneye."

Now this is going to be the theme song

for the newest Pierce Brosnan Bond movie.

Every musician wants to have a Bond theme.

I mean, it's instantly a signature song.

It's iconic.

It's again, one of those big bucket list check marks.

And this particular song was written by Bono and the Edge from U2,

and she worked with them to rewrite it

to a point where it just,

she brings like a Tina-ness to it

that I think no one else could.

And it completely defines that film.

- I don't think he really meant for me to sing it.

I don't think he really meant that anything

could come from that.

I don't even really think he cared to write a song for Bond

with what he gave me.

I wish I still had some of that stuff.

But yeah, I knew then that I had talent

to sing anything put before me.

* Goldeneye I found his weakness *

* Goldeneye he'll do what I please *

* Goldeneye no time for sweetness *

* But a bitter kiss will bring him to his knees *

- One of my favorite Tina moments is when she stars

in Thunderdome in the Mad Max series,

and she plays this queen of like these outcasts.

And it just is kind of like, I mean, Tina's not an outcast.

She's amazing and fantastic,

but the fact that at that point in her career,

she would be brave enough to take on that role

in some ways, playing how and who she felt

and the things she'd been through in this weird,

like diotopic context was incredible.

And also the fact, the song that came out of that

"We Don't Need Another Hero"

is one of the classic, bestest,

most wonderful Tina songs of all time.

- Tina Turner the Musical has been instrumental

in bringing the music of Tina Turner to a new audience.

When it came to the West End, you know,

it's sold out night after night after night.

It also brings Tina Turner's story to life on stage

and is a vehicle for some incredible,

incredible young Black actresses

to sing all this incredible music

that Tina doesn't perform anymore.

She hasn't toured for such a long time.

She suffers with kidney disease

and she doesn't keep very well, so hasn't toured for ages.

- It's with how record sales are not as important in the mix

of making someone legendary as they were once.

I think the fact that Tina Turner got her own musical

was a way to bring Tina's story

and this fantastic cannon of music

and the whole idea of who and what she is

to a new generation of people.

And I think that was very, very important.

It's so crucial that people know the history

of what came before, and especially someone like Tina

that has just seen so much change

and literally reinvented herself so many times.

It's important for those stories to be known.

* You're simply the best *

- As I came in this evening,

it was a wonderful applause for me,

and I thank you for that.

This musical is my life,

but it's like poison that turned to medicine.

Thank God for her.

I can never be as happy as I am.

Thank you all.

- There's a musical that's a hit.

I think the documentary will be a hit.

So aside of being really tired of talking about myself,

I'm really proud of what my future as a star became.

I feel proud that I hold that in my hand.

- (Narrator) In 2013,

three weeks after her wedding to Erwin Bach,

Tina had a stroke.

She had to learn how to walk again.

- After all the tumultuous and horror with Ike,

you would think that

Tina would probably never give love another shot.

- In 1985, Tina meets Erwin Bach and he was actually

a representative from the record label

who was just sent to meet her at the airport one day.

He was 16 years her junior.

So initially they were just friends,

but they eventually got together and they got married

in Switzerland in 2013.

- Why I felt so comfortable leaving America

was because everyone treated me not as a Black person,

they treated me just as a star.

Difference.

It's different than when I was there.

My attitude about being there is I had lived there

the first 50 years of my life

and now I'm moving to another country.

Part of that was because of my relationship with Erwin.

Part of that was I was always treated a little bit different

in those other countries than in America,

because in America, a Black singer,

R&B singer is always a Black singer, R&B singer.

I'm happier than I ever thought

that life would become for me.

So that means that most of my hardships

came while I was young and growing up.

And then the last days when normally people suffer

from old age and sickness my happiness came.

I am, I'm really thoroughly happy.

- (Narrator) In her 2018 book "My Love Story,"

Tina revealed that she had suffered life-threatening

health issues in recent years,

and she was seen less spending time away from the spotlight

and the public eye.

In 2016, she was diagnosed with intestinal cancer.

She turned to homeopathic remedies to treat

her high blood pressure,

but these eventually led to kidney failure.

- Tina, however, has been beset with all kinds

of health issues.

In fact, in 2013, she had a stroke

and has to learn how to walk all over again.

And just when that seemed to be behind her

in 2016, she had to battle intestinal cancer.

And Tina decided that she was not going to do

traditional medicine.

She was instead gonna go the homeopathic route.

And from doing this, it caused a lot of strain

on her kidneys.

And she was told that she was going to either need

to be on dialysis the rest of her life,

and that eventually

she would need a kidney transplant of some kind.

So things looked quite grim.

- It's 20 years later, I think probably a little bit more,

and a lot has happened since the stage life

and my life changed.

I had sicknesses and I moved from America to Switzerland

and retirement set in and things changed.

You know, actually I had retired.

I haven't actually tried to sing since, but I'm sure I can.

Oh yes.

A mild stroke from the back of the head.

And then they took me down in the room

and I didn't believe it. It's not a stroke.

Like that. They left the room.

Plop, hit the floor.

After we finally got rid of the stroke,

then the swindle started, this dizziness.

So they found out what that was in the inner ear.

We corrected that.

And then after that was the kidney thing.

They found that, no, that was this one next, the colon.

The Swiss people are like the English, they have manners,

so I said, "Well, so what happens?"

He says, "If you don't maintain,

if you don't do what we recommend,

you will probably die."

Only one of your kidneys are functioning.

Actually, what happened was I stopped medication

for kidney because I was tired of the medicine

and I wanted to see what I felt like my old self

because it has the blood pressure medicine holds you,

it restricts you a little bit.

And they say to Erwin, "You can live with one kidney."

So Erwin thought--

No, Erwin said to the doctors, "Can I give her one of mine?"

Something similar to this, I wasn't there.

And then he found out that he doesn't need two kidneys.

So then he came to me and said,

"Tina, you don't have to make this decision now.

I can give you one of my kidneys."

And I said, "Oh, you're young. I'm already older.

It's okay.

You just get used to me not being here."

And I did feel like I was older,

I was already in my seventies,

so why should I take the kidneys from a young man

and let him finish his life, that's what I felt like.

And he said, "No, no, no, my life is fine how it is.

I'll give you one of my kidneys."

- (Narrator) Tina Turner's recent years

have been nothing short of glamorous.

After retiring from performing in 2009,

she has been living a life of luxury and relaxation,

surrounded by her loved ones and enjoying

the fruits of her decades-long career.

She spent her time between her extravagant homes

in Switzerland and France,

which are filled with beautiful artwork,

exquisite furniture, and other treasures she has collected

throughout her illustrious career.

She has been a longtime supporter of several organizations,

including the Children's Hospital in Zurich

and The Beyond Foundation, which supports music education

for young people.

On Thursday, May 25th, 2023, Tina Turner died peacefully

at her home in Switzerland after a long illness.

Her spokesperson said, "With her, the world loses

a music legend and a role model."

Following the announcement, there was an incredible

outpouring of grief and tributes

across social media from some of the biggest stars.

Tina previously had intestinal cancer

and suffered a stroke, revealing in 2018

that her husband had donated a kidney

to save her life as she contemplated assisted suicide.

- Tina Turner is irreplaceable.

There will never be someone else that has seen

all those different shifts in culture and history

that she did and lived through it,

rode the waves, and really, really was able to ride above it

and reinvent herself as a true survivor.

We throw that word around a lot now,

but if we think about Tina,

she went through horrible physical and emotional abuse.

She went through all of the racial inequality

that was happening in the south when she grew up.

She went through star, the star system,

which rejected her initially

after she was by herself without Ike,

all the health issues.

And through the whole thing,

she remained just positive and sexy and fantastic,

and just showing what a woman could be

and she'll be so greatly missed.

Those high heels will never be properly filled

by anyone else.

- (Afua) The queen of survival, the queen of reinvention,

and she's a legendary singer and performer.

- (Narrator) Despite retiring from performing in 2009,

her timeless music, stunning performances

and unapologetic attitude will always be a testament

to her enduring impact on the world of entertainment.

Her rise to fame was a true Cinderella story

filled with glamour, passion and perseverance.

But perhaps most importantly,

Tina's legacy as a feminist icon

and advocate for human rights

has made her a true inspiration.

Her unwavering commitment to philanthropy

and support for causes like children's education

and AIDS research are a testament to her enduring impact

and her commitment.

There is no doubt that Tina Turner's legacy

as a trailblazing performer and all around glamour goddess

continues to inspire new generations of artists and fans.

(calm music)