Tina Turner planned her funeral years ago, wanted it to be bigger than 'rival' Aretha Franklin’s service
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND: In order to outdo Aretha Franklin's funeral, Tina Turner reportedly planned her own memorial service years before her death. The iconic musician, widely known as the ‘Queen of Rock and Roll’, died on Wednesday, May 24, after a long illness at her home in Kusnacht near Zurich, Switzerland.
As per sources, the ‘Proud Mary’ hit-maker planned her funeral in 2018 when she was struggling to deal with medical complications even after her second husband Erwin Bach had donated his kidney for her. They also revealed that Turner wanted to make sure her send-off “eclipses Aretha’s!” “They were heated rivals in life, and Tina’s not about to let Aretha upstage her in death!” the insider dished to Radar Online. Franklin, also known as the ‘Queen of Soul’, died in 2018, still furious at Beyoncé calling Turner "The Queen" at the 2008 Grammy Awards.
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'They NEVER had a good relationship'
Before her death, Franklin even made her publicist issue a statement labeling Beyoncé’s remark ‘a cheap shot’. Turner then fired back at Aretha, saying, “Her ego must be so big to think she was the only one!” According to sources, the enmity between the two icons was originally sparked by rumors claiming that Franklin had an affair with Turner’s abusive husband, Ike Turner, before the couple's divorce in 1978. Aretha and Ike reportedly continued to hook up into the ‘80s when Tina’s blockbuster album ‘Private Dancer’ knocked her off the charts.
“They NEVER had a good relationship,” a tipster said, adding that Turner saw her “swan song as an opportunity to kick a little dirt on her rival’s grave.” In 2018, another source noted that “Tina’s picking out a designer wardrobe for her to wear while she’s lying in repose, a custom hearse, a string of top performers, and an amazing gravesite that will overshadow Aretha’s!” “It will be Tina’s last and biggest show ever,” the insider added.
Tina Turner's funeral plans
However, while Turner’s initial funeral plans are yet unknown, her spokesperson recently disclosed that her memorial service would be an intimate and private affair, with attendance limited to her immediate family members and close friends. "There will be a private funeral ceremony attended by close friends and family," they said per Mirror. The publicist also revealed that the singer died peacefully at her Switzerland home. "With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model. There will be a private funeral ceremony attended by close friends and family. Please respect the privacy of her family at this difficult time,” they added.
Tina’s death came just a few months after her son Ronnie Turner died due to “complications” from colon cancer. The musician died aged 62 at his home in Fernando Valley on Thursday, December 8. A report by Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s office noted that Ronnie also suffered from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease at the time of his death, according to Page Six. "Ronnie, you left the world far too early. In sorrow I close my eyes and think of you, my beloved son,” Tina said in a tribute at that time.