By now, most Tina Turner fans have seen the classic biopic, “Whats Love Got To Do With It.” So the abuse Tina (78) suffered during her tumultuous marriage to Ike Turner is no secret. Although the film offered a relatively graphic account of the abuse, according to Tina, it only scratches the surface of the disturbing life she lived behind closed doors. Tina walked away – or rather, ran away- from Ike 40 years ago and managed to move on with her life, but surprisingly, there are still areas of her life where her late ex-husband, Ike, is still present.
Life After Ike…Tina’s Confessions:
It’s been a while, since Tina Turner discussed her past, but during a recent interview with The Times, she opened up about Ike Turner. She briefly discussed life after Ike and admitted she’s forgiven him for all the pain he caused her. However, there is a catch. While she admitted all was forgiven, she wasn’t willing to forget and allow him back into her life. She explained why that just wasn’t a possibility for her:
“As an old person, I have forgiven him, but it would not work with him. He asked for one more tour with me, and I said, ‘No, absolutely not.’ Ike wasn’t someone you could forgive and allow him back in. It’s all gone, all forgotten.”
But although the marriage and abuse are now a thing of the past, apparently, it still has some type of effect on her. Tina actually revealed she finds herself thinking of Ike from time to time. She actually still dreams about the legendary performer, who died back in 2007. But, why? Unfortunately, Tina doesn’t believe that’s a question she can answer.
“I don’t know what the dreams are about. The dreams are still there — not the violence, the anger. I wonder if I’m still holding something in.”
Ike and Tina Turner tied the knot back in 1962. Throughout their marriage, their music careers flourished but behind closed doors, their home life faltered. Their marriage reached its breaking point in 1976 when a bloodied, bruised and battered Tina Turner arrived at the Dallas Ramada with visible signs of abuse. Although the abuse occurred many times throughout their marriage, this was the first time she chose not to hide her suffering. That particular incident was highlighted in Tina Turner’s biopic. Almost everyone who has seen the film remembers the limousine scene where Tina actually fought back for the first time. By the time they exited the limousine, it was obvious both of them had been in a real fight.
Ike Admitted To Abuse In Odd Way:
In fact, back in 2001, Ike Turner spoke publicly about the abuse Tina suffered. In his 2001 autobiography, Takin Back My Name, he admitted he’d struck his ex-wife on several occasions. However, Ike’s definition of abuse seemed to be a bit distorted, because he actually claimed “slapping” and “punching” isn’t considered a beating:
“Sure, I’ve slapped Tina,” Ike wrote. “There have been times when I punched her to the ground without thinking. But I never beat her.”
But despite the past, Tina Turner’s future has been much brighter. She admitted that even though she was successful during the early years of her career, she wasn’t exactly a fan of the blues. “I didn’t like the blues because I didn’t like what they were singing about,” Turner explained. “The blues can bring you down a little. I like to be a little bit up, and as soon as I left Ike, I never sung heavy, heavy rhythm and blues anymore. ‘I Can’t Stand the Rain’ was a blues song, and also the songs of Tony Joe White were blues, but an up-tempo, fine kind of blues. That was the change in my life, to enjoy singing.”
It looks like Tina Turner is in a much better place and it’s great that she’s at peace.
