Cher Shares Heartfelt Tribute to Tina Turner

The music world is still reeling from the news of Tina Turner’s passing, and many celebrities and fans have taken to social media to pay their respects. But perhaps one of the most touching tributes came from Cher, who was a close friend of Turner’s.

During a call-in to MSNBC’s The Beat with Ari Melber, Cher reminisced about her time with Turner, recalling the first time she visited the singer at her home in Switzerland. Despite warning Cher that she didn’t have much time to hang out, the two women spent five hours laughing and chatting together. “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 said.

Turner suffered from kidney issues and received a transplant from her husband, Erwin Bach, in 2017. Cher hinted that she may have been using a dialysis machine at her home, saying “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.'”

Despite her health struggles, Turner’s impact on music is immeasurable. Cher called her “one of the great artists” in rock history, saying there was no one else like her. “As a woman, she gave you lots of strength and I’m sure she’s encouraged so many young people… she gave me lots of strength sometimes and I gave her lots of strength, too.”

The two singers first met when Turner was in the midst of her abusive marriage to ex-husband Ike Turner, and their friendship lasted for decades. Cher fondly remembered the last time they spent together, with Turner sending her home with a pair of “Tina Turner shoes.”

Listen to Cher’s heartfelt tribute to Tina Turner below.

Credit: billboard.com

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