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Timeline : Tina Turner

November 26, 1939

Tina Turner is born Anna Mae Bullock in Brownsville, Tennessee. She takes her stage name at the behest of Ike Turner when they start performing together in 1960.

October 27, 1960

Tina Turner gives birth to Ronald Renelle Turner, her second child, while touring in Los Angeles. The father, Ike Turner, is not present at the birth.

July 13, 1966

Ike & Tina Turner's "River Deep - Mountain High," which peaked at #88 in America, climbs to #3 in the UK, earning them a gig opening for The Rolling Stones. Their success has tragic consequences, as Ike gets more an more violent toward Tina, who endures years of abuse.

September 23, 1966

The Rolling Stones launch a tour of Britain at Royal Albert Hall in London, with the upstart act Ike & Tina Turner, who have a big UK hit with "River Deep - Mountain High," opening.

May 6, 1971

Ike and Tina Turner's cover of "Proud Mary" is certified Gold.

April 22, 1974

The Who begin filming the movie version of Tommy, with Tina Turner's turn as the Acid Queen filmed first. The task of producing the complex soundtrack drives Pete Townshend to another nervous breakdown.

March 19, 1975

The movie version of The Who's rock opera Tommy premieres in America.More

July 27, 1976

Later depicted in the movie What's Love Got to Do with It, Tina Turner files for divorce from her husband Ike. They have been married 16 years.

July 2, 1976

A battered Tina Turner leaves husband Ike in Dallas, Texas, after one final blowout. She files for divorce later in the month.

March 29, 1978

After a tumultuous ordeal that lasted nearly two years, Tina Turner is officially divorced from husband Ike. She gets nothing in the settlement except her name; born Anna Mae Bullock, it was Ike who named her "Tina Turner" when they started performing together.

October 3, 1981

Rod Stewart brings out special guest Tina Turner to join him on (what else) "Hot Legs" during his appearance on Saturday Night Live.More

December 18, 1981

Rod Stewart's concert at the Forum in Los Angeles is broadcast via satellite to an audience estimated at 35 million. Tina Turner joins Stewart for - what else - "Hot Legs."

December 10, 1983

Tina Turner's first solo hit, a cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," charts at #6 in the UK as her comeback gets going.

May 29, 1984

Tina Turner releases Private Dancer, her big comeback album.More

May 15, 1984

In Tulsa, Lionel Richie launches his Can't Slow Down tour. His opening act is Tina Turner, whose comeback album, Private Dancer, is released two weeks later. During his set, Richie brings Turner on stage to duet on "Three Times A Lady" and a cover of Rod Stewart's "Hot Legs."

September 1, 1984

Tina Turner completes her comeback as "What's Love Got To Do With It" hits #1 in America.More

January 28, 1985

With the stars in town for the American Music Awards, "We Are The World" is recorded in Los Angeles, with cameras rolling for the video.More

February 26, 1985

Bruce Springsteen wins his first Grammy, taking home the Best Male Vocal Performance award for "Dancing In The Dark." "What's Love Got To Do With It" by Tina Turner wins Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

July 13, 1985

The Live Aid concerts take place in Philadelphia and London to raise money for the hungry in Africa. The Beach Boys, The Four Tops, Paul McCartney, Tina Turner, Elton John, David Bowie, The Who, Queen, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan all take part.More

July 10, 1985

Tina Turner stars opposite Mel Gibson in the post-apocalyptic action flick Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Turner sings two hit songs for the movie: "One Of The Living" and "We Don't Need Another Hero."More

September 7, 1985

For the first time in the Rock Era, the top three songs on the Hot 100 were all written for movies: #1: "St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)" by John Parr #2: "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis & the News (from Back to the Future) #3: "We Don't Need Another Hero" by Tina Turner (from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome)

January 16, 1988

Tina Turner performs at Estadio do Maracana in Rio de Janeiro to a sell-out crowd of 180,000, setting a new record for attendance at a performance by a solo artist.

June 9, 1993

Tina Turner's life story, including her stormy relationship with her husband Ike, is portrayed in the film What's Love Got To Do With It, starring Angela Bassett as Tina.

March 23, 2000

60-year-old Tina Turner launches her Twenty Four Seven tour at the Target Center in Minneapolis. It takes in $80 million, making it the top-grossing tour of 2000.

December 6, 2000

Tina Turner wraps up her wildly successful Millennium 2000 Twenty Four Seven tour with a show in Anaheim, California. She claimed it would be her last stadium tour, but it is not - she hits the road again in 2008.

May 5, 2009

Tina Turner, 69, closes out her 50th Anniversary Tour with a show in Sheffield Arena that turns out to be her last concert. "I don't want people to come to a show and think that I used to be great," she says.

July 14, 2013

In Switzerland, 73-year-old Tina Turner marries her longtime boyfriend, the record producer Erwin Bach. A few years later, he gives her one of his kidneys when she needs a transplant.

October 24, 2013

Tina Turner, who has obtained citizenship in Switzerland, where she has lived since 1995, relinquishes her United States citizenship.

April 17, 2018

Tina Turner's life story, already depicted in the 1993 film What's Love Got To Do With It, is adapted for the stage as Tina: The Musical, opens in London's West End. It opens on Broadway the following year.

May 24, 2023

Tina Turner dies at 83 after a long illness.

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