Tina Turner was "not scared of death," and was "ready to go," her close friend has now shared of the late singer.
Stephen Sills, a designer and longtime friend of the superstar, told People magazine that Tina "was tired" after a long career in which she has finally retired from in the early 2000s.
"She told me two years ago, she said, 'Stephen, I'm ready to go anytime. I'm not scared of death. I've had a wonderful last part of life. I've enjoyed it, but I'm tired,'" he recalled. Stephen visited Tina at her home in Switzerland every year, and recently spoke to her housekeeper who told Stephen that Tina was "happy and comfortable".
"She was such an amazing friend and she had such a force of creativity," he added, calling her "energetic and interested and curious".
Tina, 83, died on Wednesday May 24 of natural causes after battling a long illness, compounded by a bout of intestinal cancer, high blood pressure, and a kidney transplant.
The legendary singer-songwriter who was dubbed the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, died in Switzerland, her spokesperson confirmed in a statement: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner.
"With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow. Today we say goodbye to a dear friend who leaves us all her greatest work: her music. All our heartfelt compassion goes out to her family. Tina, we will miss you dearly"
Scores of celebrities paid tribute to the legendary musician, including Angela Bassett, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Mick Jagger, Sir Rod Stewart, and more.
The singer was known for leading the movement of women into rock and roll throughout the 1960s and 1980s, thanks to hits like 'Private Dancer,' 'The Best,' 'What's Love Got to Do With It,' and more.
Tina came to prominence as part of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue with her first husband Ike Turner. The two became a formidable live act as a duo, releasing a string of hits such as 'River Deep – Mountain High,' 'Nutbush City Limits,' and 'Proud Mary'. But their highly-publicized relationship proved to be abusive – and after years of physical and verbal assaults at Ike's hands, Tina left him without a penny to her name.
In the 1980s, a solo Tina entered the stratospheric peak of her career, launching what is considered to be one of the greatest musical comebacks with a string of hit songs, albums, and tours.
She released several enduring classics such as 'Better Be Good to Me', 'Typical Male,' 'I Don't Wanna Fight,' 'We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome),' and the Bond song 'GoldenEye'.
Her life was the subject of the 1993 biopic What's Love Got to Do With It, featuring an Oscar-nominated performance from Angela Bassett, and the award-winning Broadway jukebox musical Tina.
She sold over 100 million records over the span of her career and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
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