- Music icon Tina Turner passed away on May 24 at the age of 83.
- Tina Turner's friends and frequent collaborators have been sharing stories of their bond with the late singer.
- Cher spoke about their friendship, and the pair of shoes Tina gave her the last time they saw one another.
There will never be another icon like Tina Turner, who died on May 24 at the age of 83 following a long illness.
Rightly dubbed the "The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll," the 12-time Grammy Award winner had an artistically remarkable, but personally turbulent, 1960s and 1970s, including not just massive musical hits like "River Deep – Mountain High" and "Proud Mary," but breaking a barrier as the first woman to grace the cover of Rolling Stone (and grace she did) in 1967, and an impactful performance as the Acid Queen in Ken Russell's Oscar-nominated adaptation of The Who's rock opera Tommy. (Acid Queen would also serve as the title of Turner's second solo studio album.)
But all the more incredible was the creative resurgence Turner had in the 1980s, starting with 1984's Private Dancer, featuring the hit "What's Love Got to Do with It," which later provided the title to the 1993 Oscar-nominated biographical film of her life. In 1985, Turner even won an acting award, taking home an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress for her work in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, her second and final time acting (aside from a short cameo in 1993's Last Action Hero).
That's the key thing about Tina Turner: She was a star that shined brightest, no matter where she was. It didn't matter if she was the headliner or not, whether it was the radio, the TV, or the big screen—Tina Turner owned the room. It was a quality many of the performers she worked with loved and admired, including another iconic music diva, Cher.
Seriously, if you haven't seen it, take a moment to watch Tina Turner and Cher perform "Shame, Shame, Shame" on The Cher Show back in 1975. You can see Cher smiling with admiration as she struggles to keep up with the energy of music's most electrifying performer:
As it turns out, those 1970s collaborations led to a lifelong friendship. Even after Turner officially retired from music in 2009, living in Switzerland with her beloved husband Erwin Bach, Cher reportedly kept in touch with the music icon, even as she battled illness.
Calling in to The Beat with Ari Melber, Cher spoke about her relationship with Turner, saying she thought they were "perfect friends for each other," and sharing little anecdotes like, "I swore like a sailor and she never did," while noting that "She gave me lots of strength sometimes, and I gave her lots of strength, too."
Cher also shared that she had a memento from her final meeting with Turner. "She gave me a pair of shoes the last time I saw her."
Of course, it being Tina Turner, this wasn't just a plain ol' pair of flats. "What kind of shoes? Tina Turner shoes! The big high heels that she just [walked] around in like they were nothing."
Michael Natale is the news editor for Best Products, covering a wide range of topics like gifting, lifestyle, pop culture, and more. He has covered pop culture and commerce professionally for over a decade. His past journalistic writing can be found on sites such as Yahoo! and Comic Book Resources, his podcast appearances can be found wherever you get your podcasts, and his fiction can’t be found anywhere, because it’s not particularly good.
