The Life of Tina Turner

She overcame an abusive marriage and later almost died of kidney failure. Despite these obstacles, Tina Turner became the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll.

Transcript

00:00Today I say, I don't know when I'm stopping, just look for me when I'm there and miss me

00:15when I'm gone.

00:35Hi, this is Tina Turner.

01:16Sometimes it was, but I don't remember what it was, but I remember there were days that

01:20was lighter and nicer, but mostly he was just really always angry with me. Oh, he treated me

01:30like I was a prisoner and he was the guard.

01:45And I just thought, totally helpless. And when I was really, really, really fed up,

01:59that's when I just took a chance and said, come with me and left. I was just really tired of my

02:05life and the situation I was in with Ike.

02:07So if you have been tempted to mime.

02:33Well, I like to sing. That's first of all. I'm always changing the tempos, etc. And it's

02:41just something that couldn't happen. And I think, well, you can listen to me on record,

02:47but when you come to see me, it's a live performance. It's supposed to be live.

02:51And my attitude is that I don't think I want to play with it.

03:03I wanted to still be able to stand there and not actually take away from the credibility

03:10that I have for performing. I want them to always remember that I stood and gave a performance and

03:15not come out on a stick halfway trying to sing Proud Mary. So that was the decision.

03:22My attitude about being there is I had lived there the first 50 years of my life, and now I'm

03:38moving to another country. Part of that was because of my relationship with Irvin.

03:46Part of that was I was always treated a little bit different in those other countries than in

03:51America. Because in America, a black singer, R&B singer, is always a black singer, R&B singer.

04:07I have no idea what pulled him down except something that followed him

04:13with loneliness. And the last few times we talked, the conversation was different.

04:22I did feel like I was older. I was already in my 70s.

04:36So why should I take the kidneys from a young man and let him finish his life? That's what I felt

04:42like. And he said, no, no, no, my life is fine how it is. I'll give you one of my kidneys.

05:01And I was sitting there watching them do a show that it took me years to learn and do.

05:12And here it took them a matter of months to master and to do. I felt really proud as well.

05:21I'm happier than I ever thought that life would become for me. So that means that most of my

05:44hardships came while I was young and growing up. And in the last days, when normally people suffer

05:49from old age and sicknesses, my happiness came. I am, I'm really thoroughly happy.