Legendary singer Tina Turner celebrates her 80th birthday today. For over six decades, Turner has mesmerized audiences with her vocals and energetic stage performances.
From the early days with Ike Turner to her comeback in the 1980s, Turner's life has been filled with ups and downs. She's survived an abusive marriage to strike out on her own and become one of the top-selling female artists of all-time.
As Tina prepares to celebrate this huge birthday milestone, let's take a look at some little known facts that might surprise fans.
She hated her hit song
Following her divorce from Ike Turner, Tina embarked on a solo career. Her popularity soared in the 1980s thanks to a string of hit songs.
In 1984, Tina's biggest single What's Love Got to Do with It was released. The song hit number one on the Billboard charts and earned Turner 3 Grammy Awards.
Even though the song made her a star, Tina has stated that she's not a fan of the single. In fact, she didn't even want to record the song, but her producer convinced her to give it a try. Luckily, Tina changed her mind.
Her Legs Were Voted The Best
Aside from her singing, Tina was also known for her dancing. Whenever she performed on stage, she wore short dresses to show off her legs.
Tina's legs have become just as legendary as her singing. The star has been voted as having the best legs in showbusiness. Turner isn't shy about showing off her gams. She continues to wear short dresses when performing and she even became a spokeswoman for Hanes pantyhose.
To make sure her legs stay well in shape, Tina had them insured for over $1 million dollars.
She's also an actress
Like many singers, Tina has tried her hand at acting. One of her biggest roles came in the 1975 rock opera, Tommy. Turner played the role of The Acid Queen in the film, and her co-stars consisted of other musicians such as Roger Daltrey, Elton John, and Eric Clapton.
Turner's next big role would be in the 1985 movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Starring alongside Mel Gibson, Turner played the role of Aunty Entity. Aside from starring in the film, Turner also sang We Don't Need Another Hero for the film's soundtrack.
She released her autobiography in 1986
At the height of her music success, in 1986 Tina released her autobiography I, Tina: My Life Story.
The book chronicles Tina's early years in the music industry and her turbulent marriage to Ike Turner. In the book, Tina goes into detail about how Ike was abusive to her.
Seven years later in 1993, Tina's biography was adapted into the film What's Love Got to Do with It. Angela Bassett played the role of Tina, while Laurence Fishburne played Tina's ex-husband Ike Turner.
