There was something elemental about the ferocity of Tina Turner’s stage strut and the grit in her voice. Her death last week, aged 83, was met with an outpouring of tributes celebrating her musical prowess. But as we mourn her passing, it’s worth noting that Tina was also a model survivor of intimate partner violence.
In 1981, following her split from husband Ike Turner, Tina Turner began to speak openly about the years of abuse she had endured during their marriage. No charges related to domestic abuse were ever brought, and Ike Turner denied the accusations. Yet, over the decades Turner told a story familiar and inspiring to many other survivors.
Turner is rightly held up as a trailblazer for speaking publicly about her experience of intimate partner violence. But media coverage of Ike and Tina’s relationship has often solely focused on Ike’s physical violence.
