Cher recalls final moments with ‘really sick’ yet ‘happy’ Tina Turner before her death aged 83
Queen of Rock’N’ Roll succumbed to long illness at age 83
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Cher has remembered how “happy” Tina Turner was in her final moments, despite being “really sick”.
Turner died “peacefully” on Wednesday 24 May in her home in Kusnacht near Zurich, Switzerland, after succumbing to a long illness, her representative said in a statement. She was 83.
After the news of her death, several celebrities, including fellow singers Mick Jagger, Diana Ross and Beyoncé, paid tribute to the musical icon.
Follow The Independent’s live blog for updates.
That same day, Cher appeared on MSNBC to reflect on her close friendship with the Queen of Rock’n’Roll.
“I started going to visit her because I thought, ‘I need to put this time into our friendship, so she knows we haven’t forgotten her,’” the “Believe” singer explained. “So we kind of all took turns going and spending time with her.
“It made her happy,” she continued. “And someone said, ‘When you two laugh together, it is the funniest thing that you could ever possibly want to hear’ because we both have distinct laughs.”
Recalling her first visit, Cher said Turner warned that she couldn’t spend “too much time”.
“Then five hours later we were laughing like crazy … She was having a good time in spite of the fact that she was really sick and not wanting people to know about it,” Cher said.
In recent years, Turner had suffered from declining health, having first suffered a stroke in 2013 before being diagnosed with intestinal cancer in 2016 and undergoing a kidney transplant in 2017.
“There was no other person like her. There was no other person who could come close to who she was,” Cher said.
The two famously performed duets together in the ’70s on Cher’s variety shows.
“And as a woman, she gave you lots of strength, and I’m sure she’s encouraged so many young people,” Cher added, “but she gave me lots of strength sometimes, and I gave her lots of strength too. I think we were perfect friends for each other, truthfully.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments