LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The world has been left in shock and deep sorrow upon hearing the news of Tina Turner's death at the age of 83. Hailing from Tennessee, Tina began her journey in the world of music as a teenager, showcasing her talents by joining Ike Turner's band Kings of Rhythm. The icon got married to the late musician, shortly after in 1962 but reportedly faced physical and mental abuse at his hands. The pain was so much that she apparently even considered taking her own life.
In her memoir 'My Love Story', Tina wrote that her marriage was "defined by abuse and fear, not love, or even affection." She fled in 1976 with no money to her name and divorced him in 1978. She reminisced about a period of feeling lost until Mick Jagger and David Bowie graciously took her under their wing. Here is an excerpt from Tina's memoir, recounting the remarkable story of how their support came about.
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'David Bowie and I developed a special relationship'
Tina wrote in her memoir, "My husband Erwin once asked me: 'Why did Bowie and Jagger take you under their wing? They didn't do that for anybody else'. I think they saw a woman who could stand up to them vocally, collaborate on stage in a rock 'n' roll way, and make it all look like great fun. David Bowie always said: 'When you're dancing with Tina, she looks you in the eye'. We were partners. Equals'."
Talking further about Bowie, she wrote, "David Bowie and I developed a special relationship based on affection, admiration and shared interests (and, no, we never slept with each other). Like me, he was a Buddhist. He used to joke that at a certain point in his life, he'd had to choose between becoming a Buddhist monk or a rock 'n' roll star. I'd listen to him talking and ask: 'David, how do you know so much?' He was smart about everything: he could talk about art, religion, any topic. He'd laugh and say: 'Tina, I never stop studying'. David really knew how to dance and act, too. Not all singers do. And unlike other rockers, he was a real gentleman."
"The last time I saw him, he was performing in Brussels. I stopped by his dressing room after the concert and we caught up with each other. He didn't tell me he was mortally ill, so I didn't know it was our final goodbye. 'Love you, Tina', he said," Tina added.
'In the 80s, there were no women who sang and danced like me'
Tina wrote in her memoir, "In the Eighties, there were no women who sang and danced like me, women who could be sexy without making it sexual. And how many women can hold up their end of the stage with Mick Jagger? We always had the best time together."
"The first time I met (Mick) was in 1966, when Ike and I played the Royal Albert Hall with the Stones – a terrifying experience, given that the place was packed with 5,000 of their fans. Later, Mick showed up at the dressing room I shared with our dancers and said in his unmistakable voice: 'I like how you girls dance'. Well, we had seen him strutting on stage with his tambourine and thought he looked a little awkward. So we pulled him in and taught him how to do the Pony, our signature prancing footwork. Mick caught on fast but found it difficult to do certain steps. He obviously kept practising as when we watched him doing a little bit of the Pony during his next show, we thought: 'Well, that's good'. Not that he ever gave us credit for his new fancy footwork. To this day, Mick likes to say: 'My mother taught me how to dance'. OK fine – but I know better. Like me, he could never just stand there and sing," she added.
Tina Turner recalled Mick Jagger's on-stage skirt incident
"Take our 1985 performance together for Live Aid, for which I was wearing a tight-fitting black leather top and skirt. He looked me over and I could see a naughty idea forming. 'Does that skirt come off?' he asked slyly. 'What!' was my startled reply. 'I'm going to take your skirt off', he said. I asked him why, but it was too late to talk it through. Mick had already made up his mind to do it. 'Just to create something', he said."
"Understandably, I was a little nervous because I'd never had my skirt taken off on stage. Luckily, I was prepared. In those days especially, you didn't just wear undies. I wore fishnet stockings over my underwear, then dancer's briefs over that – if my skirt came off, there would be nothing to see except a costume under a costume. I was covered, I reassured myself. And Mick knew I was covered. We were professionals. When we started It's Only Rock 'n' Roll, he pulled off his shirt, danced around bare-chested, then sashayed off the stage to change into a yellow jacket and camouflage pants singing, 'But I Like It', the whole time. He came back, and without missing a beat, reached for my waist. I felt – oh my God, I felt him feeling around where the snap was. I knew it was going to happen."
"I managed to appear startled – that's the actress in me – and I ducked behind Mick to make it really look like it was a surprise. The audience loved it," she wrote. "I always had to be on guard with him because I never knew what prank was coming next. He's like every bad boy you've ever known at school."
