04/17/2024
"For sixteen years, her husband beat her.
But on this night, Tina Turner washed the blood from her face, wrapped a cape around her bloodied clothes, covered her eyes with a pair of sunglasses, and placed a wrap on her head, because the swelling was so bad, she couldnโt wear her wig.
She ran out of the hotel, hid among the trash cans, and then ran to the Ramada Inn, where she begged for a room.
All she had was thirty-six cents and a Mobil credit card.
But after sixteen years of cruelty, she finally walked out on Ike Turner.
To be clear, it wasnโt easy. She was so worried about her safety, she stayed with friends, paying her way by keeping house. It got so bad that Tina Turnerโthe Tina Turnerโhad to use food stamps.
And yes, itโs incredible that Tina Turner built her career back from nothing.
But whatโs even more incredible is the battle cry she repeated inside her headโthe battle cry that gave her strength: โI will die before I go back.โ
Never forget it: No matter how deep the hole is, you can always find a way out.
In their divorce, Tina Turner gave Ike nearly everything. All their money. And the publishing royalties for her compositions. โYou take everything Iโve made in the last sixteen years,โ she said. โIโll take my future.โ
From HEROES FOR MY DAUGHTER, by novelist Brian Meltzer, 2012
๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ณ๐๐น ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐
