From Queen to Queen: Reactions to the Death of Tina Turner

They had similarities, not just on the outside. Beyoncé Knowles, the “Queen Bey” honored the “Queen of Rock’n’Roll” on and behind the stage throughout her life, the singer had been a guiding star for Beyoncé since childhood. Tina Turner’s importance as a role model for black women and musicians was immense. On her death, Beyoncé released a declaration of love on her website to her beloved “Queen”:

“I am so grateful for the inspiration you have been and all the paths you have paved. You are strength and resilience. You are the epitome of power and passion. We are so fortunate to have known your kindness and beautiful spirit have. That will always stay with us. Thank you, for everything.”

The pair performed Tina Turner’s legendary “Proud Mary” together at the 2008 Grammy Awards, and Beyoncé sang in Tina’s honor at the 2005 Kennedy Center Honor Awards.

A role model for black women – for generations

Tina Turner, born Anna Mae Bullock, was a source of inspiration for many generations before Beyoncé: Janet Jackson described her as an “enduring symbol of survival and grace”. In 2010 she paid tribute to Tina Turner with an essay in the US music magazine Rolling Stones, on the anniversary of her death she had her songs played before her concert, as fans documented on Twitter:

And she wasn’t the only one, the British band Coldplay also spontaneously commemorated Tina Turner at the concert in Barcelona with an unplugged version of “Proud Mary”:

She is also the “queen” for supermodel Naomi Campbell: she gave so much, always 150 percent, and is a role model, “for strength, for stamina, for irrepressible energy and for never giving up our dreams,” writes the model Instagram.

According to her own account, US entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey was “first a fan of Tina Turner, then a real groupie”. Over the years, the women became close friends. “She is our eternal goddess of rock ‘n’ roll, who had a great inner strength that grew throughout her life,” the presenter writes. “She was a role model not only for me but for the whole world. She encouraged a part of me that I didn’t know existed.”

“I’m grateful for her courage and for showing us what victory looks like when you wear Manolos and a leather miniskirt,” Oprah wrote on Instagram. “She once told me that when her time came to leave this earth, she would not be afraid, but would be excited and curious. She had learned how to live surrounded by her beloved husband Erwin and friends. “

Singer Alicia Keys, who met Tina Turner through Oprah Winfrey, thanks her in parting: “The songs you sang gave us the courage to step out and be ourselves.”

An approachable icon

There are stars who are arrogant and unapproachable in direct contact. What also made Tina Turner special was her approachability and friendliness. Privately, the Swiss-by-choice lived a secluded life on Lake Zurich, with her last husband she found private happiness. A nice detail: according to the plaque on the house, no delivery services should ring before 12 noon.

In 2013, Turner gave up her US citizenship and became Swiss, so she learned German and took the naturalization test. Swiss media praised her as a model Swiss woman. Federal President Alain Berset was deeply concerned. “With Tina Turner’s death, the world has lost an icon. Her songs and the many memories associated with them will live on,” he wrote on Twitter.

Loved and adored

Countless musical companions, including Mick Jagger and Elton John, trust the legendary power woman. “I am so saddened by the death of my wonderful friend Tina Turner,” Mick Jagger wrote on Instagram: “She helped me so much when I was young and I will never forget her.” Elton John called her an “absolute legend”: “She was untouchable.”

Tina Turner has sung many duets with Cher, Bryan Adams, Eros Ramazotti. An unforgettable experience for all of them. The Italian singer writes on Instagram: “Tina was a symbol for all of us in every respect, artistically and humanly. We are losing one of the best, an extraordinary person.”

But it’s not just admirers or companions who mourn, many public figures and politicians also show themselves to be fans of the rock icon: “She was herself without apologizing, spoke and sang her truth – through joy and sorrow, through triumph and tragedy,” write Michelle and Barack Obama. “She will remain in our rock’n’roll hearts,” says German Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth on the death of Tina Turner.

Buddhism as a spiritual support

US actress Angela Bassett played Tina Turner in the 1993 biopic “Tina – What’s love got to do with it”, she was nominated for an Oscar for her interpretation of Tina. Her life was like Tina Turner’s in many ways, Bassett said in response to Turner’s death, “she will always have a special place in my heart, as a family.”

Buddhism, which Tina Turner had been practicing for over 40 years, had been an important support, and at the age of 81 she published a book about her spiritual path. In Buddhism, the idea prevails that individual life is not limited by birth and death. In one of her last interviews with a Swiss magazine in 2020, Tina Turner described her relationship to death as follows: “Just as sleep prepares us for the next day’s activities, death can be seen as a state in which we rest and draw strength for a new life. I believe in that.”