'She never acted like a big star': Switzerland's Kusnacht community pays tribute to Tina Turner as locals remember 'humble' icon
KUSNACHT, SWITZERLAND: Tina Turner was a beloved individual both on the stage and off it, neighbors said. Following her death at the age of 83 on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, locals from the small community of Kusnacht on the shores of Lake Zurich in Switzerland paid respect to the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll" by laying flowers at the gates of her mansion.
The locals said how the generous superstar would often stop to greet them when she was seen in the park, walking, or shopping. Heating firm boss Leo Scherer, 65, who lives on the lakeside road, said, "She was a very good person. She was really happy here and she would always say hi if you saw her on the street. She had a quiet life. When you met her out and about, she was humble. She never acted like a big star.”
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'I wanted to say thank you and goodbye'
Besides neighbors, friends, fans and colleagues were also present to pay tribute to the iconic singer. Alexandra Kruse, 44, a former stylist who made a TV commercial with Turner in 2015, said, according to The Mirror, "I wanted to say thank you and goodbye to her because she was simply the best. Her honesty about her domestic abuse inspired a lot of women to escape that. And there will always be her music – that lives on forever. I only spent a few days with her. She was such a professional but also so friendly. She knew everyone’s names on the set and had such grace and wisdom. There was a spiritual side to her too; she was a Buddhist and loved her garden by the lake."
She added, "She may have been a big star – as Hollywood as you get here in Switzerland – but she was so open and brave about what she had been through in life.”
Neighbors said Turner paid for the area’s Christmas lights and also a rescue wheel named Tina on the lake. The singer learned the most common language in Switzerland, German. She often went to yoga classes and did the occasional impromptu performance for friends even though she retired way back in 2009.
'She was still amazing'
Satu Heinanen, 58, a fan from Finland who lives near the Turner's home, said, "I saw her last concert here in February 2009, on her farewell tour, and she was still amazing. And, oh those legs – she was still up there dancing on a ramp high above the audience in high heels.”
'I’ve been a fan for 50 years'
“I’ve been a fan for 50 years. It was not just about the music, it was about Tina Turner as a person," Elizabeth Walter, 62, who took her granddaughter on a ferry across the lake to lay flowers, said. "She has been living here since 1994, and found happiness after real tough times,” she added.
Turner rose to fame in the 1960s while recording with her then-husband Ike Turner. They saw huge success but things took a drastic turn in her life as he abused her. She finally separated from him in 1978. Ike died in 2007. Turner later tied the knot with music executive Erwin Bach in 2013 on the banks of Lake Zurich. They met each other in the 1980s and then settled in Switzerland in 1994.
Erwin even donated a kidney to save Turner's life in 2006. “What a sacrifice for him to have made. He’s also a great person and always lovely when you meet him", local Anna Lander, 70, said.
The municipality of Kusnacht issued a statement
“Tina Turner inspired people all over the world with her unique voice and touched many Kusnacht residents with her warmth and modesty. She was a proud citizen here," the municipality of Kusnacht said.
