Celebrity memorial statues often spark mixed reactions, with some being praised as powerful tributes, while others face sharp backlash for missing the mark. Fans can’t tell what happened after a giant statue of Tina Turner was unveiled near her hometown.
The “Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll,” who passed away in 2023 after a long illness, was immortalized in bronze with her signature look and dynamic stage presence — but observers’ reactions range from admiration to “what the hell happened.”
While many fans and residents applaud the monument as a fitting tribute, others question the artistic representation, zooming in for all the wrong — or right — reasons.
The statue stands near the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center, a museum in Brownsville dedicated to celebrating Turner’s life and career. Opened in 2014, the museum is housed in the renovated Flagg Grove School, the very one-room building where Turner attended classes in Nutbush — linking her humble beginnings to her rise as a global music icon.
The Grammy-winning “What’s Love Got to Do With It” singer is depicted with her signature wild, untamed hair and a microphone, frozen in a moment as if she’s still performing for millions of fans around the world. The statue captures the energy and charisma that helped make her one of the most recognizable and beloved entertainers on the planet. But fans felt it “looks nothing like her.”
“Her face does not look like her at all and the wig looks like a big helmet – nothing like Tina!” wrote one person, while another observer asked, “Was this constructed by using mud? Wth.”
A few made jokes about songs that she and Ike Turner performed together. “Someone said, BIG WIG KEEP ON TURNING,” read one comment, while some joked the statue was “made by Ike and his family.”
Many agreed that when it comes to paying tribute to Black iconic entertainers, artists and sculptors with such responsibility should be properly “vetted.” “So the artist hated her,” said one person who shared a picture of Dwyane Wade’s Miami Heat statue.
Rotblatt Amrany Studio’s Omri Amrany and Oscar León, who assisted with creating artwork of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, faced backlash in October 2024 following the unveiling of the eight-foot statue of the NBA legend, though not many believed it truly looked like him.
“Where are her sons or that white man she was with. Who approved this?” said one person about Turner’s stature.
The “Nutbush City Limits” singer welcomed her first son, Raymond Craig, with Kings of Rhythm saxophonist Raymond Hill in August 1958. He was later adopted by her first husband, Ike Turner Sr. — whom Tina was married to from 1962 to 1978 — and he later changed his name to Craig Raymond Turner.
Together, Tina and Ike had only one child, Ronnie Turner, in October 1960. Tina also adopted Ike’s two sons from a previous relationship, Ike Jr. and Michael, with Lorraine Taylor. Craig passed away in 2018 and Ronnie followed four years later.
Tina Turner's Children: Everything to Know About the Music Legend’s 4 Sons
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The “Proud Mary” singer became estranged from her children as they got older. She later married Erwin Bach in 2017 after 27 years of being together. They met in 1985 and a decade later, she moved to Europe to be near him. She later renounced her American citizenship and became a citizen of Switzerland in 2013. They shared no children.
“Exactly why she left & never came back. The people never appreciated Anna Mae Bullock,” wrote one fan using Turner’s birth name.
She fought hard to keep the stage name that came from her husband in a bitter divorce over royalties and other finances.
