'Her star is still shining bright’: Tina Turner's backup singer PP Arnold pays heartfelt tribute to late music legend, calls her 'guardian angel'
LONDON, UK: PP Arnold, who was once Tina Turner’s backup singer, remembered the late music diva as “a strong inspiration” who did not lose herself despite enduring violence at the hands of her ex-husband Ike Turner. The American soul singer, 76, who lives in the UK, worked with the Turners years ago and reportedly witnessed Tina and Ike’s tumultuous relationship.
Arnold told People, “I saw her face swollen with a black eye before we go on stage. I have seen her change her clothes, do her makeup, and go on stage and do that show. You see lots of photos from that time — of her in the big glasses and what they were hiding.”
‘The woman is just strength’
Arnold joined the Turners as one of their trio of Ikettes when she was only 17. She revealed that she also became the victim of Ike. “I was fined by Ike for crying on stage because I'm unable to do my thing. The audience knows, everybody would know what's happening,” she said, before noting that the “Queen of Rock 'n' Roll” was able to survive the wrong because “the woman is just strength. Even at the thought of it, I have goose pimples going down my arms right now.”
The ‘Angel of the Morning’ singer also noted, “Tina is such a strong inspiration of how you survive that kind of adversity and then turn around and manifest divinity in this life.” As per reports, Arnold got in touch with Tina with the help of her brother’s friend, who was looking for a third person to complete the trio with Gloria Scott and Maxine Smith.
‘She was this beautiful goddess’
At the time, Arnold was in her teens and married with two children. She recalled they “called me out of desperation. I just went to that audition to help them get the gig. I lied to my husband that I was going shopping so he could look after the kids. The next thing I know I'm in Ike and Tina's living room singing ‘Dancing in the Street.’”
The ‘Kafunta’ album hitmaker continued, “They opened up the door [to the Turners' home in Los Angeles] and I went into their living room. She was this beautiful goddess with this enthusiasm that just radiated from her. She goes, 'Hello girls, glad you could make it. Show me what you got!”
“We finished the audition and Tina goes, 'Right girls — you got the gig.' I said, 'Not me – I have to go home. I'm going to be in trouble, my husband's going to kick my ass when I get home.' She goes, 'Well, if you're going to get your ass kicked for nothing, why don't you ride with us up to Fresno and see the gig?' So that moment, I am under her spell,” Arnold said.
‘Tina embraced death in the same way as she embraced life’
Arnold then went on to show her gratitude toward the late icon as she stated, “I was this young damaged girl, in the clothes that I was cleaning my house that day. I eventually was able to escape my situation and I toured with them for two years. Tina Turner turned my life around. But you never saw her down, down because she covered it up. She was so positive, and her head was always held high. I loved her and she was my guardian angel. She rescued me.”
Arnold also spoke of Tina’s life in Switzerland with her second husband Erwin Bach before her death on May 24, 2023. She told People, “She found the love of her life who was there for her. He supported her and was someone who could be with her. That's really hard finding someone who understands a woman being in the business ... to find that kind of love and happiness. She deserved every happiness and accolade. She deserved it all.”
The former Ikette added, “The music she has left behind and her legacy. It has been devastating, but as I talk to you about Tina I have a big smile on my face. I have joy and I am happy she is no longer suffering and she is free. None of us are here to live forever. I believe Tina embraced death in the same way as she embraced life. And her star is still shining bright.”