In her new memoir, ‘Cher: The Memoir, Part One,’ Cher recalls the time a “bruised” Tina Turner confided in her and sought advice on how to “leave” her abusive husband Ike Turner. Tina Turner married Ike in 1962 and they divorced in 1976. Throughout much of the 1960s and 1970s, they performed together as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue.
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In her new memoir, ‘Cher: The Memoir, Part One,’ the iconic Pop music singer and actress detailed her own abusive marriage to singer Sonny Bono; whom she claims once “manhandled” her. Cher then shared that another iconic musician, Tina Turner, confided in her and even asked her for advice on how to “leave” her own abusive husband, Ike Turner.
According to PEOPLE, in her new memoir, released on Tuesday (November 19), Cher talked about when she once gave Tina Turner some life-changing advice. In her book, Cher recalled Turner coming on the ‘The Sonny & Cher Show‘ twice with her husband, Ike. From the show, they became friends.
One day while they were filming the show, the “What’s Love Got to Do with It” singer asked the “Believe” singer for some makeup to cover up a bruise visible on her arm. Cher said Turner then asked her how she got the courage to leave Sonny Bono, whom she married in 1969 and divorced in 1975. Cher wrote, “I looked at her and told her, ‘I just walked out and kept on going.'”
Cher continued to recall that while they were rehearsing, Ike Turner “didn’t smile one time” and just played his guitar “without any emotion.” She added, “I just knew whatever he was feeling wasn’t good.”
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In December 1981, Tina Turner opened up to PEOPLE about her abusive marriage to Ike Turner and how she was finally able to escape. She said, “I was living a life of death. I didn’t exist. I didn’t fear him killing me when I left, because I was already dead. When I walked out, I didn’t look back.”
Despite having a successful career with her husband, and gaining mountainous success during the Ike & Tina Turner Revue run, Turner also recalled feeling like “just a shadow.” She admitted, “Ike took care of everything — the sound, the band, hiring people, management, and money,” all while she was expected to make breakfast for him and the band at 4 a.m.
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Later in their marriage, Tina Turner found herself turning to Buddhism and fully studying and practicing it. However, she said that despite finding the strength to learn a new spiritual and philosophical tradition, she was still being physically abused by her husband, with it only worsening.
She said, “When Ike saw me chanting, the veins in his face popped out. He didn’t want to hear about anything that would give me power.” Turner said Ike could be “very loving” at times, but that it didn’t come without strings. She explained, “He helped a lot of people in trouble. But you owed him your life. He didn’t give freely.”
In 2007, Ike Turner passed away at age 76, and in 2023, Tina Turner passed away at age 83.
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