The Extraordinary Life & Career of Tina Turner

Music legend Tina Turner recently passed away in her home near Zurich, Switzerland, where she had lived for almost 30 years, a place that she'd made her sanctuary. Her property was more specifically located in the town of Cushnot, where Tina was a valued member of the community, and the star revealed in her 2021 documentary, Tina, that she spent the last phase of her life in private alongside her husband, Irwin Bach. Tina Turner passed away at the age of 83 on May 24th, 2023, following a long, unspecified illness. In what may have been her final public words, Tina told The Guardian about how she hoped the world would remember her. She responded to this question saying, As the queen of rock and roll. As a woman who showed other women that it's okay to strive for success on their own terms. And when she was asked about what frightens her about getting older, she replied, nothing. This is life's full adventure and I embrace and accept every day with what it brings. After Tina's passing, tributes were laid outside the iron gate of her massive mansion, with notes from fans reading things such as you're simply the best, and with candles and flowers being piled outside. In her recent documentary, we could see that one of the main properties Tina and Irwin called home in Switzerland was their Chateau Algonquin estate. They moved to the countryside back in the 90s, and she said she liked it in Switzerland because everything here runs according to the rules. While Tina reportedly didn't speak German, one of the national languages of the country, her husband would always translate if needed. While Tina Turner was born in Tennessee, she became a citizen of Switzerland in 2013 and renounced her US citizenship after marrying her long-time partner, German-born Irwin Bock, who she'd been with since 1986. When speaking about why she relocated to Europe back in 1997, Tina said, adding that her single, Private Dancer, was a smashing success in the UK. The couple had been living in Switzerland for years, but due to strict laws in the country, there are restrictions against foreigners purchasing property. Therefore, Tina and her man had been renting a compound known as Chateau Algonquin for many, many years, an absolutely jaw-dropping home in Zurich, Switzerland. Back when Tina was still with Ike, she always felt like she never had space of her own, and needless to say, she's now making up for it with this home, where she was in total control of her physical surroundings. While the interior of this place is under pretty strict lock and key, reports suggest that this estate looked like a European palace. It has ivy sneaking up the walls, gardeners manicuring plentiful shrubs, and a life-size two-legged horse sculpture that's suspended from a domed ceiling inside. I mean, there's reportedly even a room stuffed to the gills with Louis XIV-inspired sofas, featured alongside a portrait of Tina, rendered as an Egyptian queen. If what's been rumoured is true, then the Algonquin is simply overflowing with beautiful things inside and out, like pieces of a giant, shattered Amethyst crystal arranged alongside the in-ground swimming pool, and framed photos of Egyptian royalty. If you're wondering about the Egyptian-inspired decor, well, Tina's sensed that she used to be Egyptian royalty in a former life. When asked in a more recent interview about her favourite parts of this stunning mansion, Tina replied, oh, I don't have a favourite room at all. However, in the course of one's life, one accumulates many objects for which one needs space. I have, for example, some artifacts of Egyptian art. I like to be surrounded by these and other collectibles. It is not at all about whether they are expensive or valuable. The important thing is that I have a personal relationship with each one. I also love the view of Lake Zurich from our garden. I enjoy the peace and quiet. While the couple was happily living in Chateau Algonquin, it was reported that in Fall 2021, Tina and Erwin invested in a property of their own, an estate which cost $76 million, no less. This property is a 10-building waterfront estate overlooking Lake Zurich, also in Switzerland, of course. And it's said that tennis star Roger Federer considered buying the property at one point, but I guess Tina beat him to it. Erwin had hinted that he and Tina used the new compound, which spanned over 240,000 square feet of space, as a weekend retreat close to where their main residence is located. This property is a century-old historic estate with 10 structures, spread over 5.5 acres of land with plenty of private lakefront access. There's also a private pond, stream, swimming pool, and a boat deck on the shore of Lake Zurich. It's no doubt this was Tina's type of place, as outdoor space has always been a priority for her. Back in 2000, she told Architectural Digest, I need nature and solitude. They nurture me. My idea of a vacation is reading a book on the terrace while my boyfriend cooks us dinner. The mansion purchase came quite recently, only a month before Tina agreed to sell her vast music catalog to German music company BMG for $50 million. To which Tina said, The protection of my life's work, my musical inheritance is something personal. I am confident that with BMG and Warner Music, my work is in professional and reliable hands. Aside from this retreat, Tina also long enjoyed a vacation home located on the French Riviera, a villa situated in the hills. Tina would often drive herself south from her home in Switzerland to throw lavish parties and celebrations here in France. But she also enjoyed this property because it's in the heart of the wilderness. Tina says she discovered it after renting a little pink house nearby, and when she heard that a villa was up for sale, she jumped at the opportunity. The villa is situated between two mountains and surrounded by woods and wildlife. More recently, the interiors at the French Abode were described as a mix of grandeur balanced by informality. She told Architectural Digest, When I see something I love, a suite of furniture, a piece of art I never measure, I never hesitate, I just buy it. Eventually, I'll find a place for it. I've always wanted and needed to transform my surroundings because decorating is my first response to loss and upheaval. Settle, collect, create a private universe. Tina and her designers drew inspiration from all over, including the Greek. Her home boasts Greek and Roman pottery and sculptures that are always on display and other accents throughout. Even the column pool and terraces have canvas shades bordered with a Greek key motif. Elsewhere, Tina had a small private library where she could write and study on an antique card table surrounded by her leather-bound volumes on art, religion, and ancient history. Then we come to the master suite, which was Tina's favorite room in this house, and one that she's taken to calling Cleopatra's Barge, which obviously has an Egyptian theme, while the decor complements the amazing views of the sea. Downstairs, you'll find a plush basement spa, a screening room, and a trophy room, while every major space in this multi-level villa opens to a patio or balcony with stunning views over the Riviera. While the world grieves the loss of legend Tina Turner, she will no doubt be remembered forever for the mark she made on the music industry, as well as in the Switzerland community she chose to call home for so many years. It was one of the most famous musical marriages in history, resulting in the sales of millions of records, breaking down racial barriers, and winning over fans across the world. However, the one-time relationship of Tina Turner and her first husband Ike Turner was marked with violence and abuse. Before this tragic nearly 20-year relationship left Tina, who recently passed at the age of 83, physically, emotionally, and financially broken, the one-time couple owned a famous home in Los Angeles. Located in the View Park neighborhood, Tina and Ike's former residence was once a retro piece of history, but more recently it was turned into a modern mid-century home. The ranch-style property was built in 1956, featuring just under 3,000 square feet of space, and it was also used as Tina and Ike's home in the 1993 film What's Love Got to Do With It? about Tina's rise to fame and her tumultuous relationship with Ike. Before his death in 2007, it's said that the last place Ike Turner called home was his modest property in San Marcos, California, which is also where he passed away. The home, which Ike Turner once lived with his wife Tina Turner for over a decade, had quite the facelift in recent years, turning the 1956-built retro property into a modern mid-century residence. Located in the View Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, this ranch-style home spanned 2,964 square feet of space and came equipped with four bedrooms and five baths throughout. Not only was the home the actual place where Ike and Tina lived for many years, it also played the couple's home in the 1993 film What's Love Got to Do With It? about Tina's rise to fame, rocky, personal life. While many facts in that movie were reportedly fake, at least the main filming location was true to reality. Ike purchased this property, situated on just under a quarter of an acre of land, in 1964 after he got a $40K bonus for signing a contract with Sue Records. Reports claim that Ike spent $100,000 for the residence back then, while in today's day that would equate to nearly $900,000. The couple called this View Park property home until Tina moved out after leaving Ike in 1976, when Ike then sold it, fully furnished the next year for $115K. Those buyers kept the home, even with the super retro decorations, for almost four decades and changed basically nothing about the pad. So when it came time to shoot the film, this house was an easy pick to make use of. Both the inside and outside of the house was featured plenty throughout the movie. Apparently, it was Ike's idea on how to design these retro and interesting interiors as he redecorated in 1970 while Tina was in the hospital. It was written in a biography about her life. When she was finally released, she went home to a real shocker. Instead of having spent money on flowers to send to Tina, she found that he had spent a small fortune on completely redecorating in superfly, ghetto, or house chic style. Ike added a wet bar with a built-in fish tank, mirrored ceilings, a coffee table shaped like a guitar, and a blue velvet couch with arms that turned into octopus tentacles, if you could believe it. In the living room, he also had a Florida ceiling rock waterfall installed in the corner. Some features of the home remain to this day, but not those ones, including the ornate front doors that were actually custom-made for Tina, with door handles shaped like arms and hands in a Buddhist style. Another thing that actually stayed from Ike and Tina's days of living here was also the fieldstone fireplace and entry wall. While many of these strange home amenities could be seen in the 1993 film, one thing that was fake was Ike's at-home recording studio, because in reality he rented a studio in a private apartment, not on the premises. One thing that certainly was revamped was the formerly not-so-pretty kitchen. Tina has been quoted saying about this one-time green-colored cooking space, Ike thought I'd be happy, because yeah, I did like green, but not necessarily in my kitchen. In that way, everything had been done first class, custom-made at the house. I mean, it cost a fortune, but it was poor taste. Well, the late Tina would be happy to see that the kitchen was completely refreshed, and after renovations, all the cabinets and appliances were traded in, for white and stainless steel amenities. The small doorway that opened to the living room was also fully opened up to give the area an airy and spacious feel. Out back, the pool area of the home remains largely the same, and aside from the custom swimming pool, there's also a cabana and fire pit lounge area on the property. As shown in What's Love Got To Do With It, Tina's time living here with Ike wasn't what you call bliss. She spoke about the abuse she endured at this property and elsewhere on many occasions, one time saying in 1981, My ex-husband was a physically violent man. I went through basic torture. I was living a life of death. I didn't exist. But I survived it, and when I walked out, I walked, and I didn't look back. And after she ditched Ike for good, Tina did find her own power and happiness, going on to win a ton of awards and record hit songs, as well as finding love again with her next husband, Erwin Bach. As for this property, following the huge remodel, it last sold in 2018 for just under $1.4 million. Looking back on what happened to finally end the cycle between Ike and Tina Turner, the moment she left wasn't until 1976. When the star escaped her abusive husband, it had been building up for years, and Ike, the musician and bandleader, had built an act around his wife. In his mind, he was the one who made Tina a star. The control that Ike had over Tina's life was immense and made it nearly impossible for her to prepare her exit, meaning when she did leave, she only had 36 cents and one credit card in her pocket. When Ike and Tina met in 1957, she was still Anna Mae Bullock, a 16-year-old country girl from a small town in Tennessee, while Ike was in his mid-20s, an already polished bandleader and rising star. Tina impressed him enough with her unique singing voice that he added her to his band as Little Ann. There was no romance between the two in the first few years, and instead, Tina was in a relationship with the band's saxophone player and fell pregnant with his child, giving birth to her first son in 1958 just after graduating high school. Eventually, Ike would reorganize the band around Tina, and in 1960, he renamed them the Ike and Tina Turner Revue while they had already started a romantic relationship. They even had a son together that same year, but they weren't legally married until a quick Tijuana wedding in 1962. Tina later said, For a decade, Tina Turner lived a life that was a whirlwind of fame, performing, abuse, and drug use, which all centered around Ike. Where on stage, she was full of energy, sexy and strong. Offstage, she was an exhausted mom Years after, Ike would deny the extent of the abuse to Tina, stating, In 1972, a few things happened that got Tina on her way out. She talked back to Ike for the first time, and by then, she was raising the kids, writing the songs, and paying the bills. She also found Buddhism and began chanting a mantra regularly. The more she chanted, the more she noticed her life improving. Tina was offered an acting role in the rock musical Tommy and filmed a TV special with Ann-Margret. Being on set gave her time away from Ike and a peek at how capable she really could be without him. Finally, on July 1st, 1976, Tina saw her chance. On a flight to Dallas to begin their next tour, the two began to fight, and in the car, on the way to their Hilton hotel, Ike began slapping her. She remembered later she hit him back, kicked, and cursed, which is when she admitted she knew she was gone. As she freed herself from an abusive relationship, the planned review tour Tina had coming up failed, and the promoters and advertisers wanted her to pay. She began booking appearances on game shows such as Hollywood Squares, anything that would generate cash flow, and Ike wasn't giving an inch in divorce proceedings. Because he had copyrighted her name, he wanted to take that too. Eventually, she decided against her lawyer's advice to let him have just about everything, the house, cars, the recording studio, in exchange for her professional name, Tina Turner. The divorce was finalized in 1978. Tina had no money, no band, and no record label, and she didn't know that it would be six years before she would release the album Private Dancer, the biggest hit of her career. In her future also lay a happy marriage, Grammy Awards, an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist, and much more. But Tina had already proved to herself that Ike hadn't made her a star, and whatever lay ahead, they would be her best days. While we know that Tina Turner went on to have the best days of her career after leaving Ike before her 2023 passing at age 83, what became of her ex-husband? Reportedly, the final home of Ike Turner was located in San Marcos, California, where he also died. There aren't many photos online of Ike Turner's home, aside from aerial and exterior shots, but what we do know about the residence is that it spanned a modest 1,604 square feet of space, and featured three bedrooms and two bathrooms throughout. He passed away in this North County home in 2007, when he was 76. While Ike was once a groundbreaking guitarist, pianist, his reputation was tarnished by his drug addiction, stint in prison, and of course, because of the abuse he inflicted on his ex-wife, Tina. The cause of Ike's death hadn't been determined, but foul play wasn't suspected. Ike Turner's ex-wife and manager, Ann Thomas, was the last to see him alive in his bedroom just after 8 a.m. the day he passed. With the band members in the house ready to play some music to cheer him up, she delivered the news that he wasn't breathing. Band members tried unsuccessfully to revive him before paramedics arrived. Either way, Ike Turner's action in his marriage to Tina Turner resulted in the downfall of his reputation. While that story of the two late musicians and one-time couple is a long and complicated one to tell, before being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist, and selling more than 100 million records worldwide, only to then pass away following a string of illnesses, singer Tina Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26th, 1939, in Brownsville, Tennessee. Tina's family lived in a rural and unincorporated part of Haywood County known as Nutbush, a community that would live on in infamy after she penned her song, Nutbush City Limits, later in life. But back in these early days, Tina would describe her family as well-to-do farmers who lived modestly off the businesses of sharecropping. Unfortunately, Tina's parents didn't exactly set a sterling example of two people in love, and they were constantly at one another's throats. Eventually, her mother left to live in St. Louis when Tina was 10. Three years later, her father left as well, so Tina was sent to live with her grandmother in Brownsville, Tennessee. Following high school, she picked up work as a nurse's aid in the hopes of entering the medical profession. At night, Tina and her sister would head to nightclubs in St. Louis, which is where she saw a man named Ike Turner perform for the first time as the bandleader of Kings of Rhythm. Only 18 years old, Tina became enamored with their music, coming back and time and time again to watch the band perform. One night, the drummer handed Tina the microphone and she took to the stage. The rest is history. Ike was so impressed by her ability that he invited her to be the group's guest vocalist and began teaching her lessons on voice control as well as performance. Originally performing as Lil Anne, she sang alongside Carlson Oliver on Ike's box top, which became her first studio recording. That song dropped in 1958. That very same year, Turner gave birth to her first son, Craig, following a relationship with the band's saxophonist, Raymond Hill. But Raymond wasn't the one Tina would end up with. Soon after, she moved in with Ike to help him raise his two sons on his own after he had broken up with their mother. A love affair ensued and inspired by the movie serial Sheena Queen of the Jungle, she changed her stage name to Tina Turner at Ike's request. Tina, because if I ran away, Tina was his name. Two years later, Ike and Tina Turner released their debut single, A Fool in Love. It became an immediate success, reaching the top 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. They then took off on a tour of the country that became noted for its incredible spectacle and the diversity of its crowds. But there was trouble in paradise. Following their monumental success, Ike became possessive and fearful that he might lose Tina, who he considered to be his meal ticket. Not that that ever stopped him from sleeping with other women and writing songs about these relationships, only to have Tina perform them. Eventually, she refused to sing those songs anymore, which is when Ike got physical, beating her with a shoe stretcher. Beatings was savage. Yes. Not just for me, for everyone involved. Rather than leave him, Four years later, the couple took part in the TNT show, which is where Phil Spector discovered them. After signing them to his label, he produced the song that he considered to be his masterpiece, River Deep, Mountain High. Tina was forced to sit through countless vocal takes to pull this baby off, and the song wasn't the hit that Phil was expecting it to be. But it still led to further opportunities for Ike and Tina. Soon, they were opening for the Rolling Stones and producing a crossover hit with a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's Proud Mary that won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group. Her marriage finally began to unravel as Ike grew more abusive while being fueled by cocaine. Tina had attempted to leave him many times, and in 1968, she was so desperate, she attempted overdosing on sleeping pills. Finally, while performing in Dallas, she fled to a friend's place, actress Anne Margaret, who provided her with shelter in Los Angeles. Ike would come looking for her, but to no avail, and the couple would divorce in 1978. Tina came away with just two cars and the right stereo stage name. Turns out, that's all she needed to turn herself into a full-fledged superstar. Tina Turner's legacy to the music industry was largely shaped by her incredible, uninhibited, one-of-a-kind stage presence that influenced everyone from Mick Jagger to Mary J. Blige, Janet Jackson, and Beyonce. But, somewhat surprisingly at first, Tina struggled to establish herself as a solo performer. Her first record, starting with 1974's pre-breakup album, Tina Turner, The Country On, failed to generate any hit songs, and she spent the next eight years touring to help pay off the debts she had from a canceled tour with Ike. She supplemented that income by also appearing on variety and game shows like Hollywood Squares. Her rebirth began in 1982 when the British synth-pop band Heaven 17 recruited her for a remake of The Temptations' Ball of Confusion. This would lead to a new record deal for Tina with Capitol, which in turn led to a top 30 hit in the US titled Let's Stay Together. In 1984, Tina released her masterpiece, Private Dancer, which instantly turned her into a superstar thanks to a little song titled What's Love Got to Do With It, written by British songwriter Terry Britton. By the end of that stretch, she finally had enough money to pay off all her debts. The following year, she met German music executive Erwin Bach, and for Tina, it was love at first sight, kicking off a relationship that would last the rest of her life. The 90s would then become an ongoing validation of her entire career when her autobiography, I, Tina, was turned into a 1993 movie titled What's Love Got to Do With It, starring Angela Bassett as Tina and Laurence Fishburne as Ike. I Don't Wanna Fight, a new song included on the film's soundtrack, would become Tina's last ever top 10 hit. Then, in 1999, Tina released her final album, 24-7. Between 2008 and 2009, Tina embarked on a 50th anniversary tour, and four years later, she and Erwin finally married after 27 years together. Tina might not have been touring or performing any longer by this time, but she was still constantly being flooded with interview requests, asking her to relive some of her most painful memories. For instance, during the HBO 2021 documentary Tina, the performer would reveal that she had been dealing with a string of physical and mental ailments for years. Three years later, she was battling intestinal cancer, followed shortly thereafter by kidney failure in 2017. At that point, Erwin stepped in to heroically donate his kidney to his partner, but it would only buy her so much time. Just two months before her passing, Tina would take to Instagram to let her fans know that she was in great danger She wrote in part, A few short weeks later, on May 24th, 2023, Tina would pass away Her upsided, a battle with lifelong illness and natural causes, were ultimately declared for the reason for her passing. With as important a place as she held in the industry, it didn't take long for tributes to come pouring in, including from Angela Bassett, the actress who portrayed Tina in the movie of her life, writing on social media, through her courage in telling her story, her commitment to stay the course in her life, no matter the sacrifice, and her determination to carve out a space in a rock and roll for herself and for others who look like her, Tina Turner showed others who lived in fear what a beautiful future filled with love, compassion and freedom should look like. Others like Mick Jagger, Elton John, Diana Ross, Bette Midler, and Giorgio Armani would also share their emotions and tributes with the rest of the world as well. But as for what Tina herself would like her legacy to be, we have the answer to that question. Thanks to what was quite possibly the last interview of her life When asked how she would like to be remembered, she told the media outlet as the queen of rock and roll as a woman who showed other women that it is OK to strive for success on their own terms. There's no denying that that's exactly what Tina Turner accomplished in the span of her life, and none of us are going to forget her legendary accomplishments anytime soon. All right, everyone, that's going to bring this latest edition of Before They Were Gone to a close. Thanks so much for watching. And before you head out, what's the one memory of Tina Turner that comes to mind when you reflect on her incredible career? Let me know in the comments down below. Otherwise, like, subscribe, and turn on your notifications to make sure you never miss an episode. My name's Cara, and I'll see you all next time. Bye.