How Tina Turner's fight against domestic abuse made her a feminist hero

Tina Turner, the “Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll”, passed away at 83 in her home near Switzerland’s Zurich after a long illness, according to a statement by her representative on Wednesday (24 May). Celebrated as a feminist icon, the Proud Mary singer was one of the best-known entertainers globally. However, her journey was far from easy with the superstar surviving domestic abuse at the hands of her ex-husband Ike Turner. Here’s the story of Tina Turner, who escaped an abusive relationship and emerged as a global star. Difficult childhood Tina Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock on 26 November 1939 in Nutbush, a rural town in Tennessee, United States. Anna Mae was sent to live with her “strict religious” grandparents when her parents started working in a munitions factory, reported BBC. Her mother, who as per New York Post suffered domestic abuse from Tina’s father, left their home when the singer was 11. Later, her father remarried and sent Anna and her sister to stay with her grandmother in Brownsville, Tennessee, noted BBC. Domestic violence 16-year-old Anna Mae first saw Ike performing at a nightclub with his band, The Kings of Rhythm. The young teenager, who was also offered the mike, impressed Ike with her performance and later joined his band. At that time, Tina was in a relationship with the band’s saxophonist, Raymond Hill. Tina and Ike were friends from 1957 to 1960, when they began their relationship, as per Fox News.

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 honoring the Queen of Rock and Roll, and a star whose light will never… pic.twitter.com/qXl2quZz1c

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 24, 2023

In 1960, Tina recorded the duo’s first-hit song Fool in Love, which was penned by Ike. He gave her the stage name “Tina”, which he later claimed was to prevent former lovers from trailing her, reported BBC. The band transformed into Ike and Tina Turner Revue and released hits like River Deep, Mountain High and It’s Gonna Work Out Fine. Citing her 1986 autobiography I, Tina, New York Post reported that the singer conveyed to Ike that she did not want to continue the relationship, to which he responded by “striking her in the head with a wooden shoe stretcher.” [caption id=“attachment_12645812” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] As per Tina Turner, her husband, Ike, abused her when they were in a relationship. Reuters File Photo[/caption] She recalled that the abuse “instilled fear” in her, and thus she stayed with him. Two years after their child Ronnie was born, the couple finally got married in 1962. As per her memoir, on their wedding night, Ike took her to a brothel in Tijuana, Mexico. Tina’s autobiography revealed that Ike had a cocaine addiction and he often cheated on her. Opening up about the domestic violence and infidelity she faced in her marriage in a 2018 interview with the Sunday Times, the Grammy Award-winning singer said: “There was violence, because he had this fear that I was going to leave him". “The other women, because I didn’t love him that way … the other women weren’t so bad, but it was the constant, constant ill-treatment.” ALSO READ: Tina Turner, whose triumphant career made her world-famous, passes away at 83 Escape and struggle In 1973, the couple produced their last big hit, Nutbush City Limits. By then, their personal life had fallen apart. During a tour in 1976, she finally decided to leave Ike, even though he “micromanaged” her career and even withheld her finances, as per reports. Tina divorced Ike in 1978, which left her “broke, in debt for canceled Ike & Tina tour dates, and with sons to support”, noted Vanity Fair.

She first openly spoke about her abusive relationship in an interview with People magazine in 1981.

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It was at a time when domestic violence survivors rarely publicly revealed their abusive relationships. Talking about the day she fled her abusive marriage, Tina told People magazine, “Ike was feeling a little irritable that day and hit me with the back of his hand”. “He beat me the entire way from the airport to the hotel … By the time we got to the hotel, the left side of my face was swollen like a monster’s.” She finally left with just “36 cents in her pocket and a Mobil credit card” in her wallet.

“I was living a life of death. I didn’t fear him [Ike] killing me when I left, because I was already dead. When I walked out, I didn’t look back,” she reportedly told the magazine.

Tina disclosed in her second autobiography, My Love Story, released in 2018, that she attempted suicide in 1968 by consuming 50 sleeping pills before a show. After the couple separated, record companies were reluctant to sign her solo. The singer told filmmakers Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin in the 2021 HBO documentary Tina: “I wanted to stop people from thinking that Ike & Tina was so positive, that we were such a great team”. “So I thought, if nothing else, at least people know.” [caption id=“attachment_12645822” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Tina Turner’s career revived with Let’s Stay Together released in 1983. Reuters File Photo[/caption] Ike, who died in 2007 at age 76 due to a cocaine overdose, repeatedly rejected her allegations. As per Fox News, he told Spin magazine in a controversial interview in 1985, “It’s years ago that I had a temper. I don’t regret nothing I’ve ever done, absolutely nothing. Yeah, I hit her, but I didn’t hit her more than the average guy beats his wife.” Rising back After some flops, Tina’s career revived with Let’s Stay Together released in 1983. After that, there was no turning back. She went on to win three Grammys in 1985, including record of the year for What’s Love Got to Do with It? from her 1984 album Private Dancer. The pop legend sold 200 million albums and won a total of eight Grammy Awards. Her escape from domestic abuse, rise from economic hardships to establish herself as a solo artist and her role as an “inadvertent activist” made her a “feminist hero”, as per The Hollywood Reporter.  She married record executive, Erwin Bach, after a long relationship, and renounced her US citizenship to become a Swiss citizen. As per BBC, once when she was asked how she survived abuse and struggle for years, the pop legend 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.” With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.