Fans of Tina Turner are paying their respects to the singer and actress at a Tennessee museum located near her childhood home
Standing in a Tennessee museum, near exhibits of shimmering dresses worn by Tina Turner, Lisa Lyons wiped tears from her cheeks as she remembered the impact the singer and actress had on her life.
Lyons recalled watching Turner’s performance in the film “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome” as Auntie Entity, the tyrannical leader of a post-apocalyptic civilization.
“She was fierce, and she was strong, and she was powerful, and that has stayed with me,” said Lyons, who, like Turner, is Black. “As a little girl of color who didn’t have that type of role model in real life, it has stuck with me all these years.”
Turner, 83, died Tuesday, after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, according to her manager. Her Grammy-winning singing career includes the hit songs “Nutbush City Limits,” “Proud Mary,” “What’s Love Got To Do With It” and “We Don’t Need Another Hero,” from “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.” Her film credits also include “Tommy” and “Last Action Hero.”
Lyons, 56, said she heard about Turner’s death on Wednesday and drove to the museum in Brownsville, west of Jackson, where Lyons lives.
When it comes to her musical legacy in a region known for its blues, rock and roll, R &B and soul music, Turner was the “cream of the crop,” Lyons said.
