The best

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 passion.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." And former US president Barack Obama tweeted: "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."

For Turner's fans, both her music and her life were causes for celebration. Turner's was a great rags-to-riches story. She was born Anna Mae Bullock in rural TennesseeA state in the south of the USA known for country music. , where her family picked cotton. When she was 11, her mother ran away. Two years later her father left too. As a teenager, she worked as a domestic servant.

Then, one fateful 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 became an unstoppable duo. They scored hit after hit. Stars flocked to their fiery live performances. In an era when American music audiences were split by race, the Turners attracted a diverse crowd, bringing Black and White fans together.

The glamour hid an appalling reality. Ike sank into cocaineAn addictive illegal drug. addiction. He relentlessly abused Tina. On one occasion when Turner tried to leave him, he hit her in the head.

Tina escaped in 1976. But the separation left her homeless and penniless.³

Against all odds, Turner bounced back in spectacular style. She worked her way back up to the top. The 1984 album Private Dancer became a monster hit. Her memoir I, Tina (1986), a global bestseller, told the story of her abuse in full. It was later adapted into a blockbuster film.

Turner retired in 2009 after a sensational farewell tour. She lived out her last years with her second husband in a Swiss castle. There were further tragedies: she suffered a strokeA medical emergency that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is cut off. They can cause lasting brain damage if not treated quickly., battled cancer and endured the deaths of two sons. Turner appeared a pillar of strength through it all.

When asked about how she had endured her struggles, Turner said: "I stayed on course from the beginning to the end, because I believed in something inside of me that told me that it can get better." For many of her fans, these words have proved a comfort in times of hardship.

Yet others are weary of 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 remember her as a pioneering, one-of-a-kind 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 adversity.

No: Turner's survival against the odds is an extraordinary achievement. But it is also exceptional. We would be better off learning from the stories of ordinary people without Turner's stardom.

Or... Turner's life is not a model but a cautionary tale. Rather than celebrating her resistance to a traumatic situation, we should stamp out domestic abuse so that no one has to suffer as she did.