Los Angeles, May 25 (IANS) Music makers and entertainers penned touching tributes to ‘Queen of Rock ‘N’ Roll’ Tina Turner immediately after her death was announced on Wednesday from her home near Zurich, Switzerland, reports ‘Variety’.
Mick Jagger, Gloria Gaynor, Diana Ross and more, from Barack Obama to Beyonce to Viola Davis, ‘Variety’ adds, lauded Turner as a revolutionary performer and music legend for her contributions to the R&B, rock and pop landscapes, and as a courageous woman for reclaiming her freedom in the face of domestic violence.
In a statement shared with ‘Variety’, Angela Bassett, who earned an Oscar nomination for her role as Turner in the 1993 biopic, said: “How do we say farewell to a woman who owned her pain and trauma and used it as a means to help change the world? 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 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.”
Beyonce updated her website with a post dedicated to Turner, whom she called the “epitome of power and passion”. The featured image was taken on the stage of the 2008 Grammys when the duo delivered an unforgettable duet of Turner’s ‘Proud Mary’, according to ‘Variety’.
“My beloved Queen. I love you endlessly. I’m so grateful for your inspiration, and all the ways you have paved the way. You are strength and resilience. You are the epitome of power and passion. We are all so fortunate to have witnessed your kindness and beautiful spirit that will forever remain. Thank you for all you have done.”
Oprah shared a lengthy remembrance on Instagram recalling the moment she transformed from Turner’s “groupie” to her friend, says ‘Variety’.
“She was a role model not only for me but for the world. She encouraged a part of me I didn’t know existed,” Oprah said. “Once she claimed her freedom from years of domestic abuse, her life became a clarion call for triumph.”
In a statement, former U.S. President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama said: “Tina Turner was raw. She was powerful. She was unstoppable. And she was unapologetically herself — speaking and singing her truth through joy and pain; triumph and tragedy. Today we join fans around the world in honouring the Queen of Rock and Roll, and a star whose light will never fade.”
Viola Davis, according to ‘Variety’, called Turner “Brilliant” and “A Survivor”, going on to describe the singer as “Our first symbol of excellence and unbridled ownership of sexuality!! You were my childhood.”
Music legend Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones tweeted a very personal tribute, remembering how she helped him when he was young.
Jagger said: “I’m so saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend Tina Turner. She was truly an enormously talented performer and singer. She was inspiring, warm, funny and generous. She helped me so much when I was young and I will never forget her.”
Gloria Gaynor, adds ‘Variety’, credited Turner for having “paved the way for so many women in rock music, black and white,” and said she did so “with great dignity & success what very few would even have dared to do in her time and in that genre of music.”
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