Tina Turner's Abusive Marriage With Ike Turner, She Attempted Suicide Before Fleeing Away From Him

Tina Turner was a renowned singer, songwriter and actress, who was dubbed the ‘Queen of Rock' n Roll’ and hailed for her vocal prowess. She rose to prominence in the 1960s as the lead vocalist of the husband-wife duo Ike and Tina Turner. With songs like What’s Love Got to Do With It, Let’s Stay Together, Private Dancer, Golden Eye and many more, she became the bestselling music artist.

While her professional life skyrocketed, her married life was very turbulent. She stayed in an abusive marriage with Ike Turner for 16 years. The situation became so violent that Tina had to flee to escape. It was years later that Tina talked about her abuse and exposed herself publicly, which shocked her huge fanbase. Let us read more about it.

Ike Turner abused Tina Turner for the first time when she was pregnant

Tina Turner met Ike Turner after she saw his group, the Kings of Rhythm, perform in 1957. She was just 17 when she approached Ike to listen to her song. Ike was impressed with Tina and decided to make her the lead singer of his group. They became good friends before falling in love with each other. Ike and Tina’s affair began when he was already dating Lorraine Taylor in 1959.

When Tina was pregnant with their son, Ronnie, she told Ike that she didn’t want to continue the relationship. He responded by striking her in the head with a wooden shoe stretcher. The incident shocked Tina and instilled fear in her. In 1962, the duo got married, but it turned out to be a nightmare for her.

Tina Turner tried to end her life due to the assault she faced

Tina came from an abusive household where she was abandoned by her parents. So she always wanted her marriage to work and never wanted to abandon her husband, Ike. However, with time, the abuse in her marriage only grew. The abuse became so violent that Tina attempted suicide in 1968 by overdosing on Valium pills.

In her autobiography, I Tina, the singer, wrote about the violence she endured in her marriage and revealed that with time, Ike’s behaviour became totally unpredictable. In her words:

“I was living a life of death. I didn't exist. I didn't fear him killing me when I left, because I was already dead. When I walked out, I didn't look back."

Ike Turner physically harmed Tina Turner before they performed together on stage

Tina Turner decided to open up about her abuse in 1981 as she was going to embark on her solo career. In a 1981 tell-all interview with People, Tina revealed her experiences suffering from domestic abuse in her 16-year marriage to Ike. She would go on to detail horrifying allegations of abuse in countless interviews and two memoirs, as well as a documentary released in 2021. 

In one of the interviews, Tina revealed that before one of her and Ike’s stage performances, he broke her nose and jaw. In her 2018 memoir, Tina Turner: My Love Story, Tina recalled:

“Ike Turner threw hot coffee in my face, giving me third-degree burns. He used my nose as a punching bag so many times that I could taste blood running down my throat when I sang. He broke my jaw. And I couldn't remember what it was like not to have a black eye.”

Tina Turner ran away from the clutches of her abusive husband, Ike Turner

In 1976, an incident changed Tina’s life forever, and she decided to leave her abusive husband, Ike. Tina made an escape from Ike while the pair was on a tour, as they stayed at the Statler Hilton in Dallas. Ike had beaten Tina from the airport to the hotel. Recalling how she escaped the clutches of her abusive husband, Tina told People:

“By the time we got to the hotel, the left side of my face was swollen like a monster's. At the hotel, Tina said, "I massaged him and cooed, 'Can I order you any food, dear?' Then he made the mistake of going to sleep.”

With 36 cents in her pocket and a mobile credit card in her wallet, Tina ran away. He put on her sunglasses to hide her black eye and fled to save her life. A friend bought her a plane ticket home to LA. A year later, she filed for divorce. Two years later, Tina was divorced from Ike. Recalling the same, she said:

“The divorce, I got nothing. No money, no house. So I said: I'll just take my name.”

Did you know about Tina Turner’s abusive marriage with Ike Turner?

Also Read: Inside Keith Powers' Relationship History, Women He Dated Before Getting Engaged to Ryan Destiny

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