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Ike and Tina Turner have been hailed as the most famous married musical duo of all time, selling millions of records, breaking racial barriers and winning fans all across the globe.
But behind their history-making performances and their catalog of catchy hits, the superstar couple’s marriage was marred by violence.
Tina, who died Wednesday at the age of 83, secretly endured 16 years of physical abuse at the hands of her husband — prompting a suicide attempt and leaving her with “nightmares” that lasted the rest of her life.
The diva didn’t disclose the domestic abuse until 1981 — five years after she filed for divorce — bravely speaking out at a time when women rarely revealed that they had been victims of violence at the hands of their husbands.
“I was living a life of death,” Tina told People magazine in a bombshell interview in November of that year. “I didn’t fear him [Ike] killing me when I left, because I was already dead. When I walked out, I didn’t look back.”
In her 1986 autobiography, “I, Tina,” the superstar further wrote: “He [Ike] threw hot coffee in my face, giving me third-degree burns. He used my nose as a punching bag so many times that I could taste blood running down my throat when I sang. He broke my jaw. And I couldn’t remember what it was like not to have a black eye.”
More than three decades later, in the 2021 documentary, “Tina,” the Grammy-winning legend remained just as blunt about her years with Ike.
“I had an abusive life, there’s no other way to tell the story,” she declared.”It’s a reality. It’s a truth. That’s what you’ve got, so you have to accept it.”
Below is the harrowing story of Tina’s turbulent relationship with Ike — and why she finally decided to forgive him decades after their divorce.
Tina — born Anna Mae Bullock — first laid eyes on Ike in 1957 as he performed at a nightclub in St. Louis, Missouri.
The songstress recalled that she “almost went into a trance” when she saw him play, and she soon became a featured vocalist with Ike’s band.
