Jools Holland has given a personal insight into Tina Turner’s final years and says she was happy.
The music icon’s passing was confirmed on Wednesday by her representative, who said she died “peacefully at the age of 83 after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland.”
Broadcaster and musician Holland, 65, first met Turner back in 1983 when she performed on his Channel 4 TV show The Tube.
They last crossed paths five years ago when he sat next to her at a mutual friend’s wedding in Germany.
Speaking to the Standard ahead of his upcoming performance at Kew The Music on July 16, he said: “What I think should be known is the last years of her life were happy ones.
“She had a hard time growing up in terrible circumstances. The last 30 years, although she wasn’t well towards the end, I could tell that she was very satisfied and at peace living in Switzerland and had left this world which she came from behind.
“[Tina] was a great example of an incredible woman who had found a new life elsewhere. You don’t have to be trapped in your circumstances, because she made new circumstances for herself which I think is a really incredible achievement.”
Turner had largely retired from the spotlight in her later years.
In addition to filling her days spending time with her second husband Erwin Bach, Holland revealed she had a secret passion for collecting antique porcelain.
Reflecting on her musical legacy, the London-born star hailed Turner as “an amazing performer and one of the most magnetic people”.
“Her smile would sort of melt everybody and she would deliver these lines incredible,” he added.
