"She was having a good time in spite of the fact that she was really sick and not wanting people to know about it," Cher recalled about her close friend Tina Turner.
Cher is speaking out about her friendship with Tina Turner. The legendary singer passed on Wednesday, May 24, at the age of 83, as confirmed by her representative to Entertainment Tonight. Following her death, Cher spoke with Ari Melber on The Beat on MSNBC about seeing her friend while she was ill. "I started going to visit her because I thought, 'I need to put this time into our friendship, so she knows we haven't forgotten her,'" Cher said, per Entertainment Tonight. "So we all took turns going and spending time with her and it made her happy."
WATCH: Cher reflects on her close friend Tina Turner's legendary life.
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) May 25, 2023
"There was no other person like her. There was no other person who could come close to who she was." pic.twitter.com/lqhuCeobwt
Although the exact reason for Tina's passing has not yet been made public, Cher did mention that Tina "had her dialysis machine in her house." People with end-stage renal disease or kidney failure receive dialysis. In 2017, Tina received a kidney donation from her loving husband, Erwin Bach.
“I think we were perfect friends for each other.” - Cher on Tina Turner pic.twitter.com/8cYkLsIAVt
— Chris Harnick (@chrisharnick) May 25, 2023
"She fought this sickness for such a long time and she was so strong as you think she would be, but I know towards the end, she told me once, she said, 'I'm really ready. I just don't want to put up with this anymore,'" Cher recalled.
Cher remembered the first time she visited her friend at her home in Switzerland and added that Tina "was really happy" despite her illness. "She said, 'I can't spend too much time,' and then five hours later we were laughing like crazy and she wanted to get up and show everything she bought in the house," Cher said. "She was having a good time in spite of the fact that she was really sick and not wanting people to know about it."
cher and tina turner performing together (1975)
— 2000s (@PopCulture2000s) May 24, 2023
pic.twitter.com/TOuPii1mqe
The last time Cher traveled there, she returned with something aside from good memories. "She gave me a pair of shoes the last time I saw her. What kind of shoes? Tina Turner shoes!" Cher quipped. "The big high heels that she just [walked] around in like they were nothing." Tina and Cher met while Tina was engaged in an abusive marriage to Ike Turner, to whom she was married from 1962 until 1978. "When I first knew her, she was still with Ike," Cher said. "It was very strange to see her with Ike and afterward. I was so thrilled because afterward, she was so free. You could just see her being able to take a big breath. Her new life was like a big, fresh breath."
They were cuttin’ up! 😸😍
— Craig Seymour, Black Gay Music Critic (@craigspoplife) May 24, 2023
Cher & Tina Turner - Country Side of Life (Live on The Cher Show, 1975) https://t.co/x7upCu35f6 via @YouTube pic.twitter.com/vIR2jgPDG7
Tina and Cher "really got close once she left Ike, then we started spending time together," Cher shared. "She was such a force. Honestly, I think she just hit everything head-on. She wasn't about to stop. She might not have won every battle, but she fought every war. She was there fighting for all the things she believed in," Cher said.
RIP Tina Turner, such a huge and sad loss, my thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends especially Cher who I know will be heartbroken, their friendship was so special, sending her and all Tina's family and friends so much love ❤️❤️🕊🕊🙏🏻🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/Hg4f9ghInu
— Samantha Cheralina💜 (@ACheryWorld) May 24, 2023
References:
https://www.etonline.com/tina-turner-legendary-queen-of-rock-n-roll-dead-at-83-196497
Cover Image Source: (L) Getty Images | Photo by Kevin Winter ; (R) Getty Images | Photo by Miguel Villagran
