Tina Turner was “simply the best,” and the entertainment world is sharing its appreciation of the rock icon.
Turner died at the age of 83 at her home in Switzerland after a long illness, according to a statement on her official social media accounts.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner … Today we say goodbye to a dear friend who leaves us all her greatest work: her music,” read a statement.
Despite her pop cultural stature, Turner had led a reclusive life in recent years while she battled ill health, including a stroke in 2013, intestinal cancer in 2016 and a kidney transplant in 2017.
Several stars have taken to social media to mourn Turner’s passing and celebrate her musical legacy.
Tina Turner:Queen of rock ‘n’ roll dies after long illness
“Our beloved #TinaTurner has died,” Bette Midler wrote on Twitter. “From #Nutbush to the top, she was an absolutely brilliant performer and inspiration to us all. May flights of angels sing her to her rest, but if I know Tina, she is singing lead.”
“I am so, so very sad to hear of the passing of Tina Turner, the iconic legend who paved the way for so many women in rock music, black and white,” Gloria Gaynor tweeted. “She did with great dignity (and) success what very few would even have dared to do in her time and in that genre of music.”
“Heaven has gained an angel. Rest in Paradise Tina Turner,” Ciara wrote on Twitter. “Thank you for the inspiration you gave us all.”
Actress Angela Bassett, who portrayed Turner in the 1993 biopic “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” shared a lengthy tribute to the singer she helped bring to life on screen. Bassett said Turner “showed others who lived in fear what a beautiful future filled with love, compassion, and freedom should look like.”
“How do we say farewell to a woman who owned her pain and trauma and used it as a means to help change the world?” Bassett wrote on Instagram. “Her final words to me – for me – were ‘You never mimicked me. Instead, you reached deep into your soul, found your inner Tina, and showed her to the world.’ I shall hold these words close to my heart for the rest of my days.
“I am honored to have known Tina Turner. I am humbled to have helped show her to the world. So on today, while we mourn the loss of this iconic voice and presence, she gave us more than we could have ever asked. She gave us her whole self.”
Singer-songwriter Elton John called Turner’s passing “the saddest news” in an Instagram post.
“We have lost one of the word’s most exciting and electric performers,” John wrote. “A total legend on record and on stage. She was untouchable.”
“Man… this one really hits hard,” CNN anchor Abby D. Phillip tweeted. “We’re all mortal, but Tina Turner is the definition of timelessness. Talk about an unmatched talent.”
“In addition to being a once-in-a-generation talent that changed American music forever, Tina’s personal strength was remarkable,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “Overcoming adversity, and even abuse, she built a career for the ages and a life and legacy that were entirely hers.”
“RIP Tina Turner,” Piers Morgan wrote on Twitter. “Simply, the best.”
“I’m so saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend Tina Turner,” Mick Jagger tweeted alongside a collage of Turner. “She was truly an enormously talented performer and singer. She was inspiring, warm, funny and generous. She helped me so much when I was young and I will never forget her.”
“Simply the best. There will never be another Tina Turner,” Colman Domingo wrote on Twitter. “We salute this great lady. What a life.”
Soul-pop songstress Alicia Keys recalled the day she met Turner, who she called a “warrior,” in an Instagram post.
“I couldn’t believe I was standing in the presence of your greatness!!“, Keys wrote. “I got to celebrate and thank you for all the love you’ve poured out around (you). The songs you sang gave us courage to step out and be our full selves.
“You are a fierce force as a woman and a performer! All of these things have been beacons of light for not only me, but all the people around the world finding ourselves and our fearlessness, through our vulnerability!!”
“A true legend has passed,” George Takei tweeted. “She was our River Deep and our Mountain High, the Private Dancer in our hearts. She showed us that love really does has everything to do with it, and that we really did need another hero.
“Rest now, Proud Mary. Raise your voice high in the heavens. You were always simply The Best.”
Journalist and author Maria Shriver praised Turner as an “iconic, talented, and fierce” figure in a tribute posted to Twitter.
“What a journey. What a life, filled with great highs and great lows,” Shriver wrote. “She brought joy to so many, even when she was experiencing such tragedy. I’ve always admired her. … May we honor Tina, and may we continue to play her music loudly and dance!”
“A force of nature and a legend. Rest in peace, Tina Turner,” Elijah Wood wrote on Twitter.
“Some people just feel immortal,” Yvette Nicole Brown tweeted. “Or at least you pray they are.”
R&B icon Roberta Flack, who toured with Turner on the 1971 Soul to Soul Tour, remembered how Turner’s “meteoric energy on stage was in such contrast to her gentle, kind and quiet demeanor off stage.”
“My friend, Tina, thank you for inspiring us to always be everything we were meant to be regardless of life’s challenges,” Flack said in a statement. “A woman without limits. You will always be my hero.”
Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
