Tina Turner made most of her fortune in the second half of her life. The self-made millionaire died at the end of May and, in addition to great songs, leaves private assets of around 250 million euros – but who will inherit it?
Tina Turner built her fortune twice in her life, first she made money with the band Ike & Tina Turner, which she shared with her ex-husband Ike Turner. But the marriage fell apart due to physical and emotional abuse. Tina only owned the rights to her stage name, Tina Turner – she was born Anna Mae Bullock – when she left her husband. He kept the rights to the songs at the time of the band and the income.
By deciding to leave her husband, Tina Turner started over at the age of 35. She tried to build up a solo career for years, but her breakthrough only came with her fifth studio album “Private Dancer”. For ten years she had stayed on the ball, desperately wanting to make a breakthrough and not being discouraged. This ambition paid off. The album sold 20 million copies worldwide and Tina Turner took around 30 million euros with the accompanying tour. Another five albums, all of which were very successful, followed.
Tina Turner sold her music rights in 2022
With the successful LP “Private Dancer” she established herself as a solo artist in the music market and should accumulate a fortune of around 250 million euros by the end of her life, according to the Swiss business magazine “Bilanz” in 2022. Especially her last tour, which took place in 2008-2009 and was her farewell tour for the then 70-year-old, flushed the megastar around 130 million euros into the coffers.
Tina Turner has lived in Switzerland since 1995 with her partner and husband since 2013, Erwin Bach. Here she found the peace and quiet that she was often not granted in life. It was not until 2021 that the couple bought the Steinfels estate in Stäfa, which cost 70 million euros. The new building will have 24,000 square meters. These are distributed over ten buildings, a pond, stream, swimming pool and a jetty. However, she did not move, and Turner lived in Küsnacht in the Château Algonquin for rent until her death.
In 2022, Tina was also able to close another mega deal. She sold the rights to her songs, her name and her photos to the Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG). According to the Swiss magazine “20 Minuten”, the rights could have changed hands for 150 million euros.
Who are Tina Turner’s heirs?
Tina Turner’s assets will largely pass to her husband Erwin Bach. Bach met Turner at the beginning of her solo career at the age of 47. He picked her up at the airport and worked as Germany boss for the record label “EMI”. Bach, who was 16 years his junior, and Tina Turner fell in love and from then on spent almost four decades together until her death. He was her great love.
Unfortunately, Tina Turner had to bury her two biological sons while she was alive. Her first son, whom she gave birth to when she was 19, Raymond Craig, committed suicide in 2018. Her second son, Ronnie, whom she had with Ike Turner, died of cancer in 2022. It is unclear whether the remaining widows of both men will inherit part of the fortune. Neither have a legal claim, but they may have been mentioned in Turner’s will. This is very likely the case, since her son Ronnie married French-American singer Afida Turner and had two children by her, Tina Turner’s only grandchildren.
However, it is quite likely that in addition to Erwin Bach as the supposed main heir, the singer’s two adopted sons will inherit part of their fortune. When Tina Turner got together with Ike Turner, he gave birth to two sons, Ike JR. and Michael, by Lorraine Taylor into the marriage. Tina Turner is said to have continued to look after both of them even after the divorce. According to Swiss inheritance law – Tina Turner has had a Swiss passport since 2013 – both adopted children are just as entitled to inherit a compulsory share as natural children.
Turner, who has struggled with serious health issues in recent years, received a kidney donation from her husband in 2017. In the last time before her death, the singer is said to have suffered from high blood pressure and colon cancer. Her rep announced on May 24 via Instagram that the megastar had passed away at the age of 83.
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Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
