About a month before her death on Wednesday (May 24), Tina Turner reviewed her eventful life in her final interview.
The “Queen of Rock and Roll” revealed details from her private life and told spicy stories from her long-lasting music career. She also revealed one or two surprising secrets.
This last Tina Turner interview appeared on April 8, 2023 on the homepage of the “The Guardians“. In it, for example, she revealed her secret love for Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones to journalist Rosanna Green: “I always had a crush on Mick Jagger. I loved it when we toured with the Rolling Stones back then.”
With the quote, Tina Turner alludes to her musical beginnings in the late 1960s. In 1962, Tina married colleague and longtime friend Ike Turner. They started making music together. In 1969, the duo went on a major US tour as the opening act with the Rolling Stones. This had a major impact on the duo’s stylistic direction.
Despite love affairs and world fame, Turner is reluctant to look back on her past: “I never want to go back; I’ve struggled so much in my life that I have to move on.” Surely the singer is alluding to her traumatizing years of marriage with Ike. As is known, he was heavily addicted to cocaine and violent towards his wife. “Too often I’ve had people trying to make decisions for me. Assuming I needed that was a big mistake!” she continued.
In 1984, Turner made her breakthrough with her solo album Private Dancer. The song “What’s Love Got to Do With It” shot straight to the top of the US charts and won three Grammys. Another Grammy award followed in 2018 for lifetime achievement. She describes herself as a perfectionist and described herself in three words as: “Honest, lively and funny”.
When asked what her superpower would be, Turner replied, “Maybe all the solo concerts I did in six inch heels!”. This is despite the fact that growing up, her biggest passion was climbing trees and tearing her clothes and messing up her hair, just like the boys did. Binge-watching horror movies is now one of her favorite pastimes. She also loved McDonald’s.
Would you rather have more sex, money or fame? At my age, is there another option?
In recent years, Tina Turner has been living in seclusion with her second husband, Erwin Bach, in Switzerland. “I wanted fame and I got it. Now I’m enjoying anonymity in retirement,” Turner said. She wasn’t afraid of getting older: “It’s the whole adventure of life and I appreciate and accept every day with what it brings.” Turner also showed great humor. When asked if she’d rather have more sex, money or fame, she replied, “Do I still have options at my age?”
In closing, Turner explained what she wants the world to remember for: “As the queen of rock ‘n’ roll. As a woman who showed other women that it’s okay to strive for success on your own.” Her wish finally came true. On May 24, 2023, Tina Turner died in her adopted home of Zurich at the age of 83.