Simply The Best: Tina Turner's Rise To Legend Through The Years

Take a look at the life and legacy of the world-renowned Queen of Rock & Roll, told through snapshots of her legendary life taken over six decades

American Singer Tina Turner (Photo by DENIZE alain/Sygma via Getty Images)

By Rivea Ruff · Updated May 25, 2023

The news of Tina Turner’s passing shocked the world on May 24, 2023, and fans began the process of mourning the legendary singer-songwriter with the signature soulful rasp that rang out across decades and inspired generations after her.

While we remember her unmistakable vocal talent and unbreakable spirit, take a moment to look back at her rise to superstardom through photos taken across the six decades of her illustrious career.

From her early beginnings singing alongside her then-husband and his R&B band as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue to her breakthrough as a solo artist and eventual global icon, these photos chart the path of her rise to superstardom and worldwide fame.

Singer Tina Turner is photographed in her dressing room backstage ahead of her show at New York’s Radio City Music Hall in New York, 12th July 1993. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Take a look at Tina Turner’s legendary life in photos below:

Photographed in Dallas, TX; 1964

DALLAS, TX – 1964: Tina Turner of the husband-and-wife R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner poses for a portrait in 1964 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by A.B. Bell/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Pictured with then-husband and musical collaborator, Ike Turner in 1965

UNSPECIFIED – JANUARY 01: (AUSTRALIA OUT) Photo of Tina TURNER and Ike TURNER and Ike & Tina TURNER; Posed studio of Ike Turner and Tina Turner (Photo by GAB Archive/Redferns)

Tina Turner, pictured with Ike and the Ikettes, 1968

Husband-and-wife R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner pose for a portrait with their back up dancers “The Ikettes”, 1968. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Photographed during a recording session, 1969

CIRCA 1969: Tina Turner of the husband-and-wife R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner sings during a recording session in circa 1969. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Tina Turner in 1970

CIRCA 1970: Tina Turner of the husband-and-wife R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner poses for a portrait in circa 1970. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Snapped in London, 1975

American singer-songwriter and actress Tina Turner, London, UK, October 1975. (Photo by Andrew Putler/Redferns/Getty Images)

Seen embracing Elton John at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC, 1975

NEW YORK CITY – MARCH 17: Tina Turner and Elton John attend After Dark Ruby Awards on March 17, 1975 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Photographed in a performance costume, circa 1977

American singer Tina Turner posing in a winged-costume, Los Angeles, California, 1977. (Photo by Harry Langdon/Getty Images)

Pictured with James Brown backstage at the 1982 Grammy Awards

American singers James Brown and Tina Turner backstage at the 1982 Grammy Awards, held at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, February 24, 1982. (Photo by Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Getty Images)

Photographed on her way to a performance in Madrid, Spain, 1986

MADRID, SPAIN – OCTOBER 1, 1986: The American singer, Tina Turner, in Madrid to perform in the musical program of Television Española “Tocata”. (Photo By Europa Press via Getty Images)

Seen backstage at Radio City Music Hall, 1993

Photographed in Monaco, 1993

MONACO, MONACO – MAY 11: Tina Turner perched on a motorcycle poses for the cameras at the Music Awards in Monaco on 11 May 1993. (Photo credit should read JACQUES SOFFER/AFP via Getty Images)

Photographed in London at a James Bond-themed shoot for her Bond single “Goldeneye,” 1995

LONDON – 1995: Singer Tina Turner poses for a James Bond style photo shoot at Pinewood Studio’s in London. She sang the theme song for the 1995 Bond film ‘GoldenEye’. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

Seen performing on the Late Show with David Letterman, 1997

NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 24: Tina Turner performs “Undercover Agent for the Blues” on the Late Show with David Letterman, February 24, 1997 on the CBS Television Network. This photo is provided by CBS from the Late Show with David Letterman photo archive. (Photo by Alan Singer/CBS via Getty Images)

Seen embracing Oprah Winfrey at the launch of O, The Oprah Magazine, 2000

Tina Turner and Oprah Winfrey & Stedman Graham during O, The Oprah Magazine Launch Party at The Metropolitan Pavilion in New York, New York, United States. (Photo by KMazur/WireImage)

Saluted by President George W. Bush at the Kennedy Center Honors, 2005

President George W. Bush congratulates Tina Turner during a reception for the Kennedy Center Honors in the East Room of the White House Sunday, Dec. 4, 2005. From left, the honorees are singer Tony Bennett, dancer Suzanne Farrell, actress Julie Harris, actor Robert Redford and singer Tina Turner. (White House photo by Eric Draper) (Photo by Eric Draper/WireImage)

Pictured opening night of her final tour, Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour in Cologne, Germany, 2009

COLOGNE, GERMANY – JANUARY 14: Tina Turner performs at the first night of her European tour at the Cologne Arena on January 14, 2009 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

Pictured taking the stage at the premiere of TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, 2019

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 07: Tina Turner and Adrienne Warren speak during “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical” opening night at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 07, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images)

TOPICS: celebrity deaths Obituary tina turner tribute