The earth-shattering singer Tina Turner died away on Wednesday at her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland, not far from Zurich. Her scraping voice, sexual allure, and frightening intensity made her an amazing live performer and one of the greatest recorded artists ever. She was 83 years old.
Bernard Doherty, her marketing expert, announced her death without providing a cause. She recently had a stroke and was reported to be suffering many illnesses, including a kidney infection.
When Ms. Turner began singing with Ike Turner and his band, the Rulers of Musicality, in the latter half of the 1950s, she was still enrolled in secondary school and beginning her 50-year career. She started as a sporadic performer but quickly became the event's main attraction and Mr. Turner's girlfriend. She created a brief connection with her strong, soulful voice and frenzied movement.
Their group eventually changed its name to the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, which went on to become one of the most popular traveling soul groups in dark venues on the purported chitlin' circuit. White audience members in both countries began paying attention when the Rolling Stones invited the group to open for them, first on an English tour in 1966 and then, at that time, on an American visit in 1969.