Can we learn from Tina Turner? The great American rock’n’roll singer has passed away. Admirers say her life can teach us many important lessons, for both her music and her resilience.
Tributes paid to the 'Queen of Rock'n'Roll'
Can we learn from Tina Turner? The great American rock'n'roll singer has passed away. Admirers say her life can teach us many important lessons, for both her music and her resilience.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper" id="crosshead">The best</h2>
You're simply the best, better than all the rest.
In the summer of 1989, Tina Turner released "The Best", a song about an overwhelming love.1 For her millions of fans, however, the lyrics could have been about Turner herself.
Turner, who died on Wednesday aged 83 after a long illness, was one of the most beloved singers of all time.
The tributes poured in. Mick JaggerAn English rock star born in 1943. called her "enormously talented." R&B singer Ciara wrote: "Heaven has gained an angel.
Turner was a great rags-to-riches story. She was born into poverty Anna Mae Bullock in rural TennesseeA state in the south of the USA known for country music. .
One night in 1957, Bullock seized the mic during the interval at a rock'n'roll concert. Bandleader Ike Turner was blown away by the grit and power of her voice. He hired her on the spot. She became known as Tina Turner.2
Married soon after, the Turners scored hit after hit. Their fiery gigs attracted a diverse crowd, bringing Black and White fans together in a country where civil rightsRights that protect people's personal freedoms. remained under dispute.
The glamour hid an appalling reality. Ike sank into cocaineAn addictive illegal drug. addiction. He abused Tina. She escaped in 1976. But the divorce left her homeless and penniless.3
Turner bounced back against the odds. She worked her way back up to the top. Her 1984 album Private Dancer blew up. Her bestselling memoir I, Tina (1986) told the story of her abuse in full.
When asked about how she had survived, Turner said: "I stayed on course... because I believed in something inside of me that told me that it can get better." For many, these words have proved a comfort in times of hardship.
Yet others warn against holding her up as a symbol of survival. Daphne A Brooks writes: "It is easy to fall for the romantic and all-too-real triumph of Turner's story". But we should also see her as an artist whose music exists to be enjoyed.
Yes: Some medieval Christians used to model their lives on those of saints. Turner is a saint for the modern age, triumphing over suffering. She should stand as a role model for those faced with evil.
No: Turner's survival against the odds is an incredible achievement. But it is also a one-off. We can learn more from the stories of ordinary people without Turner's stardom.
Or... Turner's life is a warning. Rather than celebrating her resistance to trauma, we should stamp out domestic abuse so that no one has to suffer as she did.
Mick Jagger - An English rock star born in 1943.
Tennessee - A state in the south of the USA known for country music.
civil rights - Rights that protect people's personal freedoms.
Cocaine - An addictive illegal drug.
<h5 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper" id="question"><strong>Can we learn from Tina Turner? </strong></h5>
Tributes paid to the ‘Queen of Rock’n’Roll’

Glossary
Mick Jagger - An English rock star born in 1943.
Tennessee - A state in the south of the USA known for country music.
civil rights - Rights that protect people's personal freedoms.
Cocaine - An addictive illegal drug.