hat is there to say about the undisputed Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll? Quite a lot, actually. Tina Turner—a woman whose electrifying vocals sent shock waves around the world—changed the course of music as many know it today. The legendary singer passed away in May 2023 at the age of 83, and there will never be another quite like her. Throughout her life, the abuse and violence she experienced with her former husband, Ike Turner, continued to follow her, but the dynamo nevertheless continued to push through and break barriers.

From her humble beginnings in rural Tennessee to taking a chance on herself as a teenager, Turner still remains a household name six decades after her first record. After all, she is the one who’s credited with teaching Mick Jagger how to dance. Her 1988 concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil drew 188,000 fans and set the Guinness World Record for “largest paying concert attendance for a solo artist.” Two years later, she would also set the record for most concert tickets sold by any solo performer.

Turner has garnered 25 Grammy nominations and won eight. What’s more, she is a two-time Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer. Her powerful vocals echo through time and her dancing pulses to the beat of a dazzling drum. A woman who proudly stood up, her legacy can be found in the work of Mary J. Blige, Janet Jackson, and Beyoncé—and certainly, many more artists to come.

Stacker scoured the web and pieced together a picture of Tina Turner’s life you may not know, drawing from news accounts, biographies, magazine interviews, and more.