A loving mother. Tina Turner had four sons as she navigated life in the spotlight.
The Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll became a mother at the age of 18 in 1958 with the birth of her son Craig, whom she welcomed with Ike Turner’s former Kings of Rhythm bandmate Raymond Hill. Tina and Ike, who would later wed, scored their first hit song with 1960’s “A Fool in Love.”
Upon their nuptials in Tijuana, Mexico in 1962, the “Proud Mary” singer became the stepmother of Ike’s two sons, Ike Jr. and Michael, whom he welcomed with ex-wife Lorraine Taylor in 1958 and 1959, respectively. She subsequently adopted Ike Jr. and Michael.
Tina and the record producer welcomed a child of their own, son Ronnie, in 1960.
While she and Ike continued to find career success with songs such as “I Idolize You,” “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine” and “Poor Fool,” their marriage was not so pretty behind the scenes. Ike became abusive toward the eight-time Grammy winner while struggling with addiction. In her 1986 memoir, I, Tina, the singer revealed that she attempted suicide in 1968 due to the abuse.
Their tumultuous marriage came to an end in 1976 when Tina filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences as the ground of their split. Ike later died of a cocaine overdose in December 2007.
Over the years, Tina racked up a total of 25 Grammy nominations, in addition to taking home numerous Billboard music awards, earning a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and being twice inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
She also found new love with Erwin Bach, whom she married in July 2013 after 27 years of dating. “It’s that happiness that people talk about, when you wish for nothing, when you can finally take a deep breath and say, ‘Everything is good,’” she told Hello! magazine later that month of her new married life. “It’s a wonderful place to be.”
One year after she and the music producer tied the knot, Tina’s son Craig died by suicide in July 2018. He was pronounced dead in his California home by authorities following a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The “What’s Love Got to Do With It” singer called spreading her eldest’s ashes her “saddest moment as a mother” in a tweet at the time, sharing a picture of herself throwing a flower into the ocean in honor of her late son. “He will always be my baby.”
A few years later, Tina suffered another loss with the death of her and Ike’s youngest, Ronnie. She announced his death at the age of 62 via an emotional Instagram post, writing, “Ronnie, you left the world far too early. In sorrow I close my eyes and think of you, my beloved son.” He is survived by his wife, French musician Afida Turner.
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