Tina Turner‘s cause of death has been revealed one day after she passed away at age 83.
A rep for the legendary musician confirmed to the Daily Mail on Thursday, May 25, that Turner died of natural causes. (Us Weekly has reached out to the rep for comment.)
News broke on Wednesday, May 24, that the “Private Dancer” artist — known to fans across the globe as the Queen of Rock ‘n Roll — died at her home in Switzerland after suffering from an undisclosed illness.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner,” read a statement shared via Turner’s social media accounts on Wednesday. “With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow. Today we say goodbye to a dear friend who leaves us all her greatest work: her music. All our heartfelt compassion goes out to her family. Tina, we will miss you dearly.”
Her spokesperson, Bernard Doherty, noted in an additional statement: “With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model.”
Tina Turner Ilpo Musto/Shutterstock
The Tennessee native kicked off her music career in 1957, teaming up with Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm. She and Ike — who died in December 2007 — collaborated on “River Deep – Mountain High,” “Proud Mary” and more major hits.
Tina went on to pursue her own solo work, catapulting herself to the top of the charts with “What’s Love Got to Do with It” from 1984’s Private Dancer. The song earned her the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1985. Over the course of her career, she won 11 more Grammys — including Best Female Rock Vocal Performance — and landed three songs in the Grammy Hall of Fame.
As the Happiness Becomes You author’s star continued to rise, her personal life also attracted interest. She and Ike were married from 1962 to 1978, welcoming their son, Ronnie, in 1960. (She previously welcomed son Craig with Kings of Rhythm saxophonist Raymond Hill in 1958 and adopted two of Ike’s children following their nuptials.)
After her tumultuous relationship with Ike came to an end, Tina met German music executive Erwin Bach in 1986. The twosome — who were more than 15 years apart in age — eventually sparked a romance but didn’t tie the knot until July 2013.
“We grant each other freedom and space to be individuals at the same time we are a couple,” the Tina star wrote in her 2020 memoir. “Erwin, who is a force of nature in his own right, has never been the least bit intimidated by my career, my talents, or my fame. He shows me that true love doesn’t require the dimming of my light so that he can shine. On the contrary, we are the light of each other’s lives, and we want to shine as bright as we can, together.”
She referred to falling in love with Bach as being “another exercise in leaving my comfort zone, of being open to the unexpected gifts that life has to offer.”
Ahead of her death, Tina was diagnosed with both intestinal cancer and kidney failure in 2016. She underwent kidney transplant surgery one year later and went into complete remission.
Her personal challenges continued in 2018 when her son Craig was found dead at age 59 from a self-inflicted gun wound.
“My saddest moment as a mother,” she tweeted at the time. “On Thursday, July 19 2018, I said my final goodbye to my son, Craig Raymond Turner, when I gathered with family and friends to scatter his ashes off the coast of California. He was fifty-nine when he died so tragically, but he will always be my baby.”
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Four years later, Tina’s son Ronnie died at age 62 due to complications from colon cancer in December 2022.
