Angela Bassett, Oprah, Mick Jagger and more pay tribute to Tina Turner
Angela Bassett, Oprah, Mick Jagger, and more shared social media memorials for the late Tina Turner
![Angela Bassett, Oprah, Mick Jagger and more pay tribute to Tina Turner](https://img.pastemagazine.com/wp-content/avuploads/2023/05/14233203/e0a8c7501e2878e7a9978aa7cf6995a1.jpg)
The Queen of Rock and Roll died on Wednesday, leading to an outpouring of remembrances from fans and friends of Tina Turner. The legendary vocalist and performer had a huge influence on music and pop culture, evidenced by the broad range of artists paying tribute to her on social media.
“How do we say farewell to a woman who owned her pain and trauma and used it as a means to help change the world?” began an Instagram post from Angela Bassett, who was Oscar nominated for her portrayal of Turner in the 1993 film What’s Love Got To Do With It (based on Turner’s memoir I, Tina: My Life Story). “Through her courage in telling her story, her commitment to stay the course in her life, no matter the sacrifice, and her determination to carve out a space in rock and roll for herself and for others who look like her, Tina Turner showed others who lived in fear what a beautiful future filled with love, compassion, and freedom should look like.”
The post continued, “Her final words to me—for me—were ‘You never mimicked me. Instead, you reached deep into your soul, found your inner Tina, and showed her to the world.’ I shall hold these words close to my heart for the rest of my days. I am honored to have known Tina Turner. I am humbled to have helped show her to the world. So on today, while we mourn the loss of this iconic voice and presence, she gave us more than we could have ever asked. She gave us her whole self. And Tina Turner is a gift that will always be ‘simply the best.’ Angels sing thee to thy rest…Queen.”
Mick Jagger, who toured with Turner and performed with her many times (famously at Live Aid Festival in Philadelphia in 1985), posted on his own page: “I’m so saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend Tina Turner. She was truly an enormously talented performer and singer. She was inspiring, warm, funny and generous. She helped me so much when I was young and I will never forget her.”
Oprah recalled evolving from a “full-on groupie” to an actual friend of Turner’s, writing on Instagram, “She is our forever goddess of rock ‘n’ roll who contained a magnitude of inner strength that grew throughout her life. She was a role model not only for me but for the world. She encouraged a part of me I didn’t know existed.”
“Once she claimed her freedom from years of domestic abuse, her life became a clarion call for triumph. I’m grateful for her courage, for showing us what victory looks like wearing Manolo’s and a leather miniskirt,” the iconic talk show host added. “She once shared with me that when her time came to leave this earth, she would not be afraid, but excited and curious. Because she had learned how to LIVE surrounded by her beloved husband, Erwin, and friends. I am a better woman, a better human, because her life touched mine. She was indeed simply the best.”
“Tina Turner was raw. She was powerful. She was unstoppable,” Michelle and Barack Obama wrote in their tribute. “And she was unapologetically herself—speaking and singing her truth through joy and pain; triumph and tragedy. Today we join fans around the world in honoring the Queen of Rock and Roll, and a star whose light will never fade.”
Scroll on for more tributes from Viola Davis, Questlove, Jennifer Hudson, and more.