Tina Turner went through a lot in her lifetime. The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll sadly passed away on Wednesday at 83 years old, but she leaves a large legacy behind. Following her abusive marriage to Ike Turner, Tina credited David Bowie with saving her career.
Tina shared that David helped to reboot her career, which suffered a lot after her divorce. "I'll be ever thankful to him," she once said of the singer-songwriter, who died of liver cancer in 2016.
Tina first discovered success with Ike. The couple got married in 1962, but even through their fame and success, the relationship wasn't what it seemed.
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Tina alleged that Ike was abusive throughout their entire relationship. “He needed to control me, economically and psychologically, so I could never leave him,” she shared.
In one of her memoirs, Tina Turner: My Love Story, she detailed accounts of the abuse. “(Ike Turner) threw hot coffee in my face, giving me third-degree burns,” she recalled. “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.”
Tina finally divorced Ike in 1976 after 16 years of marriage. The divorce was finalized in 1978, but her music career was largely affected.
The singer was dropped from her label, Capitol Records, after the separation. She then took a pause on her music career.
In a 2004 interview, she shared how David Bowie helped her get back on her feet. "In 1983 David Bowie did something very special and significant for me," she said. "We were on the same label, but the decision had been taken not to re-sign me. David, however, had just had his contract renewed by Capitol, who wanted to take him out to dinner that night in New York to celebrate. 'I'm sorry,'" he told them, "'but I'm going to the Ritz to see my favorite singer perform.' And that was me."
The label ended up tagging along to see Tina's performance, and that was the moment that got her a second chance. "It was because of David that I got another deal," she said. "And everything else followed."
