It’s been a year since the legendary Tina Turner passed away, yet the world remains captivated by every facet of her life.
Many are aware of her dedication to Buddhism, a spiritual path that played a crucial role in her recovery from the tumultuous relationship with ex-husband, Ike Turner. However, fewer are familiar with another intriguing aspect of her spiritual journey, how a psychic once predicted her success.
In a recently re-released 1981 interview with People magazine, the late Grammy-winning singer shared insights into her spiritual beliefs and experiences.
At that time of the interview, Turner was in the midst of reinventing herself, adopting a new look and sound that would ultimately redefine her career.
Five years after she left Ike, the interview also coincided with her preparation for an upcoming tour with the Rolling Stones. This was also three years before her major comeback with her breakout solo album, “Private Dancer,” which debuted in 1984.
"Born Anna Mae Bullock, Tina Turner's performing career took off in the 1960s alongside Ike Turner. Her reign as a solo artist gained steam in 1984 when she released “Private Dancer.” The album would go on to win four Grammy Awards. Turner was known for her energetic performance" https://t.co/8QqPngJp9i pic.twitter.com/SdkfMgKWsn
— Dj T-sun Ethio (@djtsun) May 24, 2023
Her interview, now a part of People’s special edition, “50 Years of Stars,” shared the horrors of being married to Ike and the moment that she decided to leave him after he beat her bloody from the airport into Dallas.
“Ike was feeling a little irritable that day and hit me with the back of his hand,” she said of that day on July 1, 1976.
“I wagged my finger at him, saying, ‘All right, you.’ Then he beat me the entire way from the airport to the hotel,” she continued. “When he fought he used things, and not just his hands. By the time we got to the hotel, the left side of my face was swollen like a monster’s. I never cried, though. I laughed. I laughed because I knew I was leaving. No more of this.”
Turner said that when the two got to their room, she gave him a massage and attempted to pamper him.
“Can I order you any food, dear?” she remembered saying to him before he drifted off to sleep.
Turner said that was her time to leave. She had only 36 cents to her name and a Mobil credit card in her wallet. Distraught but focused, she was able to persuade a friend to get her a plane ticket to Los Angeles from where they were.
“I felt proud,” Tina says. “I felt strong. I felt like Martin Luther King.”
Three years later, she would be on top of the world as a megastar, fulfilling a promise that a psychic once told her: “You will be among the biggest of stars. A partner of yours will fall, like a leaf from a tree in autumn. You will survive and go on.”
Between 1984 and 1989, Tina Turner, in her re-imagined form, achieved staggering success, selling an astonishing 31 million albums, according to ChartMasters. During this period, she embarked on seven tours, performing for over 18 million people.
In 1986, Turner published her autobiography, “I, Tina,” sharing her life story with audiences old and new. This memoir resonated deeply with both long-time fans who had followed her since the classic era and new listeners discovering Turner through her chart-topping hits. The book led to the production and release of the biopic “What’s Love Got To Do With It” in 1993, based on her life.
Angela Bassett’s portrayal of the “Nut Bush City Limits” singer in the film was so remarkable that it even earned high praise from Turner herself, highlighting the actress’s exceptional talent and the film’s impact.
“Someone’s going to play me in ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It?’ I was a little bit skeptical when work began on the 1993 film, Turner wrote before her homage to the woman that played her. “First of all, who are they going to find to sing, dance, and act like me? Then, I looked up, saw Angela, and immediately started to smile.”
She added, “Angela, the first time we met, you didn’t look, sound, or move like me — that came later after you worked so hard to make it happen. But even then, I could see that the young woman standing before me had strength, determination, and big, big dreams, just like me. ‘She’s perfect,’ I said, and I was right.”
Bassett, according to a then-retired Turner, found her “inner Tina,” and thanked her because she “never mimicked me,” Turner said. “Instead, you reached deep into your soul, found your inner Tina, and showed her to the world.”
“That’s your gift, becoming your character with conviction, truth, dignity, and grace, even when it’s painful, and takes everything you have and more. It’s not just acting, it’s being,” she continued.
Though she had regular sessions with psychics, none could predict the success of her music (post-Ike), her movie, a Tony nominated Broadway musical and her prestigious legacy.
Ike and Tina Turner at London’s Heathrow airport in October 1975. pic.twitter.com/wWzjQJnxvX
— Bill Pourquoimec (@BillPourquoimec) October 21, 2023
Neither could anyone predict, a month later, after giving those flowers to Bassett, Turner would be an ancestor.
Tina died on May 24, 2023 at the age of 83. Ike Turner passed away in 2007 at 76.
