♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: pediatric surgeon. volunteer. topiary artist. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. brook: these are people who are trying to change the world. startups have this energy that energizes me. i'm thriving by helping others everyday. people who know, know bdo.

narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. announcer: and now, "bbc news". ♪ >> i'm ben thompson. you are watching the context. ♪ >> in the past hour, an absolutely american-born finger. tina turner has died at the age of 83.

>> welcome to the pgram. breaking news. the u.s.-born singer songwriter tina turner has died at the age of 83. she was widely known as the queen of rock 'n' roll and raised to prominence as the singer of the eye can tina turner review before launching a successful career as a solo performer. the queen of rock 'n' roll has died peacefully at the age of 83. after a long illness in her home in switzerland. with her, the world loses a music legend and a role model. a warning, the report does contain flashing images. ♪ >> 1966, river date mountain

high. in your face hip shaking, sweat drenched, passionate perfection. ♪ >> however, in america, the song was a flop. it will be another 17 years before tina turner truly made it. annie mae bullock grew up in tennessee. her family was sharecroppers. she started singing in ike turners when she was a teenager. and poor, largely abandoned by her parents, she hoped it was her escape. it was an escape into a different sort of misery. ♪

there were hits. and the world saw a confident, powerful woman on stage. but the acid queen was in private -- her violent controlling husband. in 1976, she walked out. >> i did try to leave. the first time was when i had the experience of being whippepd with a -- whipped with a wire hanger. and something else. and i realized you don't go back. ♪ >> her career was in the doldrums. however, there was a place that had long been more receptive to the tina turner magic, britain. ♪

>> "let's stay together" was a collaboration of the creative team behind heaven 17. a new british manager and backing artists such as david but we helped her charge her career. ♪ >> what followed was hit after hit. ♪ ♪ >> a film role in "mad max," >> how the world turns. one day cock of the walk, next a feather duster. ♪ >> and in the year 2000, 60 yes old and the biggest selling concert artist in the world. from annie mabel look and the church choir of nut bush baptist church, to multiplatinum sallust rock 'n' roll superstar living in switzerland.

the extraordinary tina turner. ♪ >> tina turner, who has died at the age of 83. let's talk to our media correspondent in the newsroom. we heard all of the hits in your piece. one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. hard to know where to even start to assess tina turner's legacy. >> absolutely. i will read the statement first. tina turner, the queen of rock 'n' roll died at the age of 83 after long illness in her home in zurich, switzerland. her manager of 30ears said tino was a unique and remarkable rce of nature. incredible energy and immense talent.

from the first day i met her in 1980, she believed in herself completely. few others did at the time. it was a privilege and honor to have been a close friend as well as her manager more t30 years. i will miss her deeply. that referenced 1980. she thought it could have possibly been all over for her. she did not have a record deal, she split from ike turner. the abusive marriage for so many years. she had her success and her hits. many thought of her in america as a vintage act. somebody meant to go around the clubs. and it was just the beginning. when you saw the tens of millions of albums she sold in the 1980's and 1990's, they took a risk with her. they heard "let's stay together," and said that is a

real star. it really allegan in terms of sales in her 40's. she was age 60, the biggest selling concert artist in the year on the planet. it is an extraordinary story. that is the inspirational story of her life. it is what she endured, how she overcame it, her honesty, talking about it. inspiring many others who felt they had experienced something of what she experienced in a marriage such as she had. by the end of it, she found a real -- it is a story that is inspiring. there is a musical about her life at the moment. >> absolutely. so many artists struggle to make it on their own after they have been part of a hugely successful group.

not only did she make it, calling it t greatest comeback in music history, the 1984 album. >> absolutely. that sold more than 10 million copies. there were more and more. the hits kept on coming. a james bond theme, the mad max movie. she was as compelling in her 60's on stage as she was in her 20's. it was the energy. you knew from the first second there was a person with incredible presence. one of the things that led to jealousy from ike, the attention she attracted on stage. she was under his control. watching some of that footage from the 1960's is compelling.

there are many other performers. people have said they have taken her moves. they watched it and have taken it on board. the kennedy center honors in washington, d.c., when it was an evening in celebration of tina turner, the culmination, beyonce walked onto the stage. she said there were tinas in her life, her mother and tina turner. and she did a performance. and you watch beyonce and you go you've got that from one person, tina turner. >> it is astonishing looking at the footage. without the sound and the energy and enthusiasm. it really jumps out at the screen. thank you. we will talk to you a little bit later. taking you straight to washington to speak with our correspondent, jessica parker.

it is hard to underestimate what she had on the music industry. how will she be remembered in the u.s.? >> huge breaking news in the u.s.. many networks running those lines we have had from her representatives calling her the queen of rock 'n' roll. reflecting her life story, it was remarkable. a rural community in tennessee, and she started her career having met ike turner. and reinvented herself despite struggles many times. she had not just a disruptive abusive relationship with ike turner, but a disruptive childhood, as well. i think for a lot of people, while remembering her incredible music and how many artists can claim you might know the title of their song something like the

best and people will be able to start reciting the lyrics. she was incredible in terms of her musical legacy. the fact she had those struggles during an extremely long career despite the ups and the downs, and there certainly were upsnd downs. a lot of people talking about her as a real inspiration. not just because of her music, but her life story and the obstacles she overcame. >> we had a statement from the white house saying the death of tina turner is incredibly sad news. they say it is a massive loss to the communities who loved her. it is difficult to get a sense of how much has changed during her career. i'm looking at the accolades awarded to her. the first black artist, first woman on the cover of rolling stone. rolling stone magazine ranking her among the 100 greatest

artist of all time. the 100 greatest singers of all time. there are so many records and glass ceilings she broke through. >> you have been listening, the fact the white house issued a statement. you see behind me shngowsthile youbu what an icoe she was in the u.s.. because of the things she was talking about, it may taka while to unpack the enormity of her legacy. a reading about herife. she set out to become a nurse and ended up being this musical legend. so many glass ceilings through her career, despite a l of difficulties. the abusive relationship she suffered with ike turner. she was the one that changed her

name. born anime bullet. he decided to change the name without even consulting her. she kept the name and was keeping it. she went to forge a career on her own to become a household name in the u.s.. >> thanks for now. we will get some more from you later. jessica parker in washington. let's talk to the chief music critic at the times newspaper. thank you for being with us. there are so many parts of tina turner's career. singer-songwriter, actress. let's talk about the music. so many records as i was discussing that tina turner was awarded. what will be the standout achievement in her career? >> she was -- reinvented herself three or four times. when she was a kid, she saw ike turner performing, not on stage

in the intermission and started singing and he was blown away by what he heard. with ike turner, they made those records like fall in love, city limits, and proud mary. and you have the phil spector, deep mountain high, one othe most amazing pop songs of all time. you get to the 1970's, you have tommy, the acid queen, off of the scale in terms of this kind of mania. a total reinvention selling 1980 superstar with private dancer. so she had this ability. i think she was a more raw talent than someone like beyonce, who is indebted to her. hashd which was very rock 'n' roll. r&b and soul. i think she was probably the most important -- maybe the most

important female rock 'n' roll singer of all time, not necessarily associated with her, but she was a rock 'n' roll nger. >> we just had further detail from that statement, so many amazing moments in her career. they dcribed it as many stages in many moments in a career. that was the point with tina turner. she reinvented herself over the years. very few artists are able to do that and do it successfully. >> she did it against the odds. ike turner was famously a difficult man. a very abusive relationship. she escaped it with absolutely nothing. that was the beginning of her superstardom after a few years. she kept on changing. i think it is worth remembering, as difficult as it is, a lot of that passion we here in the

voice and the delivery, it came from a very difficult place. it came from a lot of pain. it is hard to escape thatepth of delivery. a difficult life behind it all the way back to her childhood, baptist parents, did not want her to become what she became. so it was a difficult life, extremely strong person. a strength of character is inspiring. >> if we look at her achievements, records around t world, one of the best-selling artist of all time. three grammy hall of fame awards. grammy lifetime achievement award. first black artist, first woman to be on the cover of rolling stone. does any other artist come anywhere close to her? >> she's comparable to people like prince.

a female artist, i find it hard to think of meone who is so pioneering. especially the mtv period, the 1980's. this is a superstar. one among a handful. bruce springsteen, madonna, michael jackson, prince, tina turner. she was definitely up there. there is something which -- i never met her, but there was something people really warmed to with tina turner. she was tough, but reflective of -- that was a very important part of it. of course the film once love got to do with it, a good biopic, it opened her up to a new generation, a new audience. >> that reinvention, i suppose amongst an industry changing on itself, give us a sense of an industry that she entered at a very young age and how that

changed over the course of her career. >> that is also something worth remembering. ike turner, history -- he's not going to be one of the good guys. bu things are very difficult for him because it was a very racist time in the 1950's, early 1960's america. tina turner came into this world where they had to forge their own path. what she did, i think she was one of the first, she aligned herself with the rolling stones, erik clapton, the 1960's british -- the rock movementthe who. high-performance as the acid queen is unbelievable. quite unhinged. she probably was on a lot of drugs. it remains one of the greatest performances of all time and it is captured on film. it changed a lot. at the same time, she was going

with the changes of the industry itself. and the wider cultural changes. she waat the heart of the hippie revelation, would not exactly call her a hippie, but she was doing that. during the 1980's, she embodied that spirit at the same time, that ambition and scale. she capped changing. i think she reflected t changing of times, while alws being herself. i don't think anyone compares to her. >> great to get your thoughts and your insight. will hutchinson, the times music critic. talking to tony blackman, the bbc radio ii presenter. i imagine youave played a fear of tina turner's records. how will you remember her? >> i was so sad to hear the news. i remember her giving some wonderful records. she was very rock.

with soul music, slightly softer. with tina turner, the energy she put into it, i loved some of the disco inferno, priva dancers. i remember seeing her in 2002, the energy she put into her performance was wonderful. i adored her. the image, the hair, the short skirts, she was a terrific performer. she has given us so many great songs we can continue playing. >> what was it about her music that managed to transcend different generations across many decades?at was it that mado popular? >> i don't know, i think she's 83 years old, has to give 78 or 79. she had this amazing energy. she was not dated in any way.

i think her image was amazing. really interesting life, the marriage with ike turner documented in the film. she had terr personality. it appealed to all age groups. people who loved soul music like i do and people who love rock music. she managed to combine both, which was quite unusual. i think that is what it was. interesting personality. wonderful charisma. it came across on the stage. her music is second to none. >> you have been around long enough to know a lot of artists try to reinvent themselves and are not always successful. she was the queen of reinvention and managed to do so particularly well. one of the greatest comebacks in music history and the 1980's.

her ability to do that changing times to do something different that kept her relevant. >> that is really important. it has been around 60 years. sometimes doing things different, that is very important. when you saw her on stage, she was always fresh, i had so much energy. i think the music was aolutely wonderful. you never got the feeling she was trying to be young the whole time. she was young and her outlook and her stage performance. it did look dated. she could get older and older and still tina turner on stage with that dynamic personality. >> it wasn't just the music. it was so many different facets, the fashion, the energy, the movie.

later years, a stage show. >> a stage show about whitney houston. i think she's still in london. i have not seen it. the film was interesting, well. she had such a traumatic life. it was an interesting life apart from everything else. so when you saw her on stage, you are aware she really lived life to the fullest. and the music she bought with tremendous. what i love about soul music is when you hear a soul singer singing from the heart, that is what she did. the amount of energy she put into it was wonderful. >> i mentioned the number of amazing records she broke. 100 million records sold around the world.

one of the best-selling recording artist, 12 grammy awards, three grammy hall of fame awards, a lifetime achievement award. does any other artist compare? to that sort of achievement she managed to achieve throughout her career? >> i don't think -- you are talking about frank sinatras, aretha franklins, people like that. wonderful soul fingers -- soul fingers, but the amount of songs and records she sold was tremendous. i don't think there's anybody to compare, they're probably never will be. her stage shows were wonderful. i have seen wonderful soul fingers in my time. doesn't have that interest. when you see tina turner, you are looking at somebody who previously lived a life,

interesting life, there is someone who has really lived life to the full. i think she will be sadly missed. but she has left so many great songs to play. i will play them for as long as i'm around. >> you talked about a life well lived and an inspiration to so many different people. >> absolutely. she was a great role model. somebody who kept going, reinvented herself, and was fantastic to look at. and you thought this is a really interesting woman. not only are we hearing great songs from her, i don't think she ever went -- i saw her a couple of mes -- she never seemed to go on stage and walk through it. she put every single thing into it. sometimes i found her quite exhausting to look at because

she was putting so much energy into it. i remember seeing her and she was getting on quite a bit. she was amazing in the first half. in the second half, she had to sit down. >> so good to talk to you. thank you for sharing those memories. more tributes coming up. narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. man: bdo. accountants and advisors. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ ♪

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♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: pediatric surgeon. volunteer. topiary artist. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. ook: these are people who are trying to change the world. startups have this energy that energizes me. i'm thriving by ing others everyday. people who know, know bdo.