New pictures with Tina Turner and her son Craig. They both look great!
@LoveTinaTurner
Craig Raymond Turner, Tina Turner’s oldest son, killed himself inside of his home in Studio City, California. TMZ reports that Craig Turner shot himself dead. Cops were first called to his home at around noon on July 3. He was 59 years old.
Craig Turner was born when his mother was 18 years old. His father was Kings of Rhythm saxophonist Raymond Hill. Craig was then adopted by his mother’s husband, Ike Turner. It’s alleged that Ike Turner and his friend once beat up Craig’s father, breaking his leg, over Raymond’s treatment of Tina. It was Tina’s pregnancy with Craig that saw the singer kicked out of her mother’s house. Tina then moved in with Ike Turner in East St. Louis. Tina would later have another son, Ronnie, with Ike. She also adopted two of Ike’s children, Michael and Ike Jr.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Tina Once Described Craig as a ‘Very Emotional Kid’
GettyCraig Turner, far right, is pictured in the early 1970s with Tina and brothers, from left, Ike Junior, Michael and Ronnie.
Tina told Oprah in May 2005 that Craig “was a very emotional kid” when asked about her kid’s reaction to the abuse she suffered at the hands of Ike Turner. The singer said, “They saw the black eyes. Ike’s children never reacted, but my oldest son, Craig, was a very emotional kid. He’d always look down in sadness. One day when Ike was fighting me, Craig knocked on the door and said, “Mother, are you all right?” I thought, “Oh, please, don’t beat me at home.” I didn’t want my children to hear. I tried to have meals with the children, talk to them about life. But Ike had no sense of that. He’d always come home late from the studio. It was awful.” Tina went on to say that she decided to leave Ike only after Craig had graduated from high school.
2. Ike Said in 1985 that Tina Pretended Like She Only Wanted to Be a Mother to Craig & Not Their Other Kids
Ike Turner said in an August 1985 interview with Spin Magazine that Tina was “convincing white people that she only cares about one of her kids, the one [Craig] she had before me.” Ike continued saying, “The others, especially our son [Ronnie], she’s saying she never wanted him, that she didn’t want to mother him. That hurt me, man. When we were together we never treated any of them differently. Not Ronnie, Craig, or the two sons I had before Tina [Ike Jr. and Michael]. Since we broke up, she’s saying that Craig is the only one she wanted to mother. This is the only time I’ve really been mad at her. Can you imagine those kids walking around and people saying, ‘Ah-ha, Tina ain’t your mama.’ I don’t care what she says about me, but my kids, that ain’t right.”
Tina told People Magazine in a 2000 interview about how her violent relationship with Ike hurt her children saying, “Had I been with them more, I think I could have helped them a lot more with their lives. A few of them haven’t done so well with their lives…and some still haven’t gotten to the place where they want to get. All I can do is hope for the best.”
3. Craig Was One of Tina’s Kids Who Didn’t Accuse the Singer of Neglect
In April 2018, Craig’s brother, Ike Jr., told the Daily Mail that their mother had “abandoned” their family to live in Switzerland. The piece mentions that Ike Jr. and Craig saw each other regularly and that Craig worked in real estate in the San Fernando Valley.
Ronnie Turner’s wife, Afida, made similar accusations in 2016 to Radar Online. Afida Turner said that Tina help to pay for her son’s medical bills saying, “I love my mother-in-law, and she loves me. But I am very disappointed that I don’t get a dime from her.”
4. Craig Turner Was an ‘Extremely Dedicated’ Real Estate Professional
An online profile for Craig’s real estate business referred to him as an “extremely dedicated to pleasing clients and accomplishing all your real estate needs.” He was a member of The National Organization of Realtors; The California Association of Realtors.
5. A New Musical Based on Tina’s Life Is Expected to Hit Broadway in 2019
Tina: The Musical is expected to move to New York City in 2019, according to the New York Post. The musical has been playing on West End in London since April 2018. One reviewer said of the show, according to the Post, “This is a heady celebration of triumph over adversity that left the audience breathless.”
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Craig Turner, Tina’s Son, Dead: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know