The Stunning Transformation Of Tina Turner

For most, the name Tina Turner probably immediately summons up an image of the queen of rock 'n' roll. Upon the release of her debut solo album, Private Dancer, in 1984, Turner once again became one of the music industry's best-known artists. Known for her dynamo voice and her epic rock anthems, Turner emerged as an absolute superstar in the '80s and '90s. Her list of accolades is pretty mind-boggling. With 12 Grammys under her belt, Turner certainly solidified her status as a music legend. She also starred in movies, wrote a memoir, and inspired millions of fans. 

Turner died on May 24, 2023, several years after she stopped performing, but her impact on the world of music remains strong. It's hard to imagine a time when Turner wasn't the powerhouse we know and love today. But before she blossomed into Tina Turner, the international star, she was Anna Mae Bullock, a young girl from a tiny town in Tennessee. Ready to find out more about her journey? Here is the stunning transformation of the late, great Tina Turner.

Tina Turner may not have had dreams of becoming a famous singer, but singing was always a part of her life. As a child, she told Oprah Winfrey, she sang "at church and at picnics" like many other children. In her book Happiness Becomes You (via You), Turner wrote, "When I finally got old enough to join the [church] choir, that was my sweet spot." She was around 8 when she joined the choir. As she recalled, she was the youngest singer, but she still "had the biggest voice in the choir."

In an interview with Harvard Business Review, Turner explained that, despite her impressive voice, she didn't initially consider a career in music. Instead, her family thought she might become a nurse or a teacher. "In my heart of hearts," Turner said, "I knew those paths wouldn't be mine."

Despite her clear talent for music, Turner didn't think of becoming a professional in the music industry until she met Ike Turner. As she explained to Oprah Winfrey in an interview (via Oprah.com), she was 17 when she, her mother, and her sister moved to St. Louis. There, she and her sister went to see Ike in concert. "His music charged me," she recalled. "I was never attracted to him," she said, "but I wanted to sing with his band."

She met Ike, and when she finally had the chance to sing, he said, "Girl, I didn't know you could sing!" Turner cited this as the moment when she knew she wanted to be a singer. 

Ike then essentially gave her a full makeover, buying her new clothes and getting her hair done and her teeth fixed. The two became incredibly close — "like brother and sister," as Tina said. The pair confided in each other. When Ike revealed how he had been hurt in the past, Tina thought, "I'll never hurt you." This was the beginning of the relationship that would kickstart her career, but it eventually became abusive and almost impossible for Tina to escape.

For the entirety of Tina Turner's marriage to Ike Turner, her musical and romantic partner, she suffered terrible physical abuse. As she revealed to Oprah Winfrey in an interview, it began shortly after they recorded their first song, "A Fool in Love." When she tried to leave then, she recalled, "That was the first time I really got a beating from Ike." The abuse went on for a decade and a half. "It was a thoroughly unhappy situation I was in," Turner told Rolling Stone, "but I was too far gone." She was terrified to leave and didn't know where she would go.

Eventually, the situation got so bad that Turner became suicidal. In her book "My Love Story," she detailed how the horrific violence led to a suicide attempt in which she took dozens of sleeping pills. "He broke my jaw. And I couldn't remember what it was like not to have a black eye," she wrote of her pain (via Independent).

In 1976, she made a radical, life-changing decision — she decided to leave. As she told Jonathan Ross, she didn't have much money or a place to escape, but she decided she had to try. 

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233 or TTY 1−800−787−3224. You can also find more information, resources, and support at www.thehotline.org.

After leaving Ike Turner, Tina Turner was finally free to pursue the career that she wanted. In an interview on Ann Delisi's Essential Music, she explained that, even though she left her marriage with no money, she left with something else: life lessons. "I learned how to survive with Ike. I learned how to perform. I learned how to cover songs, and work without a record," she explained. 

At first, she performed in the Las Vegas cabaret circuit to make ends meet, as noted by Forbes. Then, Turner joined forces with the talent manager Roger Davies. Davies set up a three-night run in New York at the Ritz. After the sold-out run, it was clear that Turner had a big future as a solo artist. "That was the real beginning of it," Turner recalled.

Meeting Davies helped Turner find her footing and launch a new career. Their meeting felt like fate, as they were both looking to grow in the industry.

As a Black female music artist working throughout the '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s, Turner frequently found herself coming up against systemic racism. In a 2000 interview on 60 Minutes II, Turner explained that she had never let racism bother her, noting that she didn't care if she had to enter through a back door (via Deseret News). She added, "I've never been bothered by my color. If the whole world was like that, maybe there would be more harmony and love."

She went into more detail in an interview with Harvard Business Review, explaining that Buddhism helped her to see past racial differences. Of course, others didn't share the same views. "When I started as a solo artist," she recalled, "I was a female Black singer in my forties with no money and few prospects for gigs. Still, I kept a 'never give up' spirit." Buddhism also helped her to remain positive in the face of discrimination. "Part of my spiritual practice is to 'change poison into medicine,'" she said. "The force of my positivity pushed all the discriminatory 'isms' standing in my way right out the window."

After spending several decades with a thriving solo career, Turner finally decided to retire from performing live in 2009. As the singer explained on The Jonathan Ross Show, she was simply ready to spend more time at home. "You know, I was always away from home, always away from home," she said. She went on to say that spending so much time on tour meant she had no time to do domestic things like shopping and decorating. "Always airplanes, buses, cars, trains," she recalled. "And I just really got tired of partying every night, every year," she said.

In 2019, 10 years after her retirement, Turner couldn't have been happier. As she told The New York Times, "I don't sing. I don't dance. I don't dress up." Having experienced a full and long career, she confessed that she didn't miss it, either.

And to the Harvard Business Review, she said, "My retirement has given me more time to relax and reflect," she said. It also gave her the chance to write her book "Happiness Becomes You" about her spirituality.

After retiring from singing, Turner experienced a scary series of health scares; she overcame both a stroke and a cancer scare. As she told Harvard Business Review, she tried to let these negative experiences have a positive impact. "I choose to be hopeful and to honor each experience in my life, negative and positive, as a chance to increase my wisdom, courage, and compassion," she said.

As Turner told The Guardian, her Buddhist practice helped her face these health scares one by one. "I summoned up my inner lion and overcame each health problem that came along. Illness has given me a greater appreciation for health and reminds me to enjoy each day to its fullest," she said. Her bravery and perseverance are truly incredible. 

As her interviewer described it, "I felt her life force ... It was this life force that brought true love into her life and moved her through the suicide of her eldest son, as well as her own cancer, strokes and other difficult health conditions." Looking back on Turner's life, it's remarkable just how much she had overcome through sheer will and positivity.

Tina Turner originally left the U.S. and moved to Switzerland in 1995 thanks to the popularity of her music in Europe. However, over the years, it grew to be about more than her success. Switzerland became her home and where she settled to lead a quieter life after she stopped performing. She and her husband, Erwin Bach, enjoyed an idyllic life in their home in Kusnachton, on Lake Zurich. Speaking in 2019 to Gayle King of CBS, Turner described her peaceful life. "I have everything. When I sit at the Lake Zurich, in the house that I have, I am so serene. I have no problems," Turner said.

During her years in Switzerland, Turner spent time by the lake, visited town, and frequented local restaurants. Rico Zandonella, owner of Rico's Restaurant, spoke to People about the relationship he developed with Turner, as she dined there often and resided nearby. "[She] lived 100 yards away from the restaurant and we would run into one another all the time along the lake while I was walking my dogs. She would walk alongside and we would tell one another stories, and we would laugh," he said. Other locals shared fond memories of Turner as well. Her Swiss neighbors spoke to Reuters about always seeing the former rock star smiling when they crossed paths. Following her death, neighbors laid flowers outside the lakeside home that the singer loved so much to pay respect.