Tina Turner dead at 83: Singer’s ‘unmatched career’ celebrated as Mattel turns her into Barbie doll
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: News of Tina Turner's death at 83 has stunned the world and sent it spiraling into grief. But Turner herself was never far from it throughout her life and was quite a celebrated personality as well. Toy company Mattel honored Tina Turner by unveiling a Barbie doll in her likeness. In a social media share, the firm said, “Simply the best. 🎤 Barbie is proud to honor the unmatched career of the ‘Queen of Rock ’n Roll’ with a @TinaTurner Barbie doll.”
It added, “Wearing a mini dress and denim jacket inspired by her look in the ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’ video, collectors and music fans alike can celebrate the music icon with the new Signature #Barbie doll.” Besides Turner’s dressing style, the doll also takes inspiration from her trademark hair. In a statement, creator Bill Greening said, “We used a lot of screen grabs to see the hair at all angles. Lots of teasing and hairspray was involved!” The doll is listed for $55 on Mattel's website.
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The new launch received an eager reception online. An individual commented on Instagram, “In Love!!!So happy to see you honored this way Miss. Tina!!!!Congratulations on a beautiful Collaboration!!!!🎤🎶👸🏽🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾.” Another wrote, “This is about to be the best selling Barbie ever manufactured, hands down. Tina is simply the best in anything,❤️❤️❤️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥.” “Awesome and I don’t know if I should get 2 as one for my grand daughter and one for me..😍😍😍” a third added.
Where is Tina Turner now?
A Tennessee-born, Turner is now a Swiss citizen. She lives there with her husband, Erwin Bach — a music producer. It has been said that the pair has been calling the mountainous Central European country home since the 1990s but it was in 2013 that she actually gave up her US citizenship. 2013 was also the year she and Bach exchanged vows after knowing each other for over two decades.
At the time, the ‘Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome’ actress had reportedly said, “I am very happy in Switzerland and I feel at home here. I could not imagine a better place to live."
Though ‘The Best’ singer retired in 2009, she did not completely disappear from the limelight and worked on the development of the jukebox musical — ‘Tina - The Tina Turner Musical,’ which was released in the UK in 2018. Two years later, she created a remix of ‘What Love Got to Do With It’ with Norwegian DJ Kygo, who said at the time, “I couldn’t be more excited to collaborate with Tina Turner, who is an icon that I grew up listening to. ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’ is one of my all-time favorite songs, so to have a chance to rework it has been a very special moment in my career.”
Besides these, Turner also worked on her books, like ‘Tina Turner: My Love Story’ and ‘Happiness Becomes You: A Guide to Changing Your Life for Good’. In ‘Tina Turner: My Love Story,’ she revealed that she was about to die in 2016 as her kidneys had gotten severely damaged but her husband became her savior. She said, “He said he didn’t want another woman, or another life; we were happy and he’d do anything to keep us together. His offer to give me his kidney was a gift of love, and he remained unflappable and relaxed.”
Turner added, “I know that my medical adventure is far from over. After a transplant, it seems that there’s always another test, another doctor’s appointment or biopsy to get through. But I’m still here. We’re both still here, closer than we ever imagined—and that’s cause for celebration.”