After the unfortunate passing of Tina Turner this week, legendary performer Cher reflected on her friendship with the late “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Turner died at the age of 83 at her home in Switzerland after suffering from an illness for many years.
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During a phone-call interview for MSNBC’s The Beat with Ari Melber, which took place just hours after the news of Turner’s death broke, Cher detailed her lengthy friendship with the iconic singer. “I started going to visit her because I thought, ‘I need to put this time into our friendship, so she knows we haven’t forgotten her,” said share. “So we all took turns going and spending time with her and it made her happy.”
[RELATED: Beyoncé Pays Tribute to “Inspiration” Tina Turner: “Thank You For All You Have Done”]
Cher revealed that the first time she visited Turner in Switzerland, the legend claimed she didn’t have much time to spare to catch up. Cher continued, “Then five hours later we were laughing like crazy and she wanted to get up and show everything that she’d bought in the house. She was having a good time in spite of the fact that she was really sick and not wanting people to know about it.”
While no cause of death for Turner has been revealed as of yet, it was known that she was struggling with kidney failure. In 2017, Turner underwent kidney transplant surgery.
During the phone conversation, Cher discussed her dear friend’s long-term illness, adding, “She fought this sickness for such a long time and she was so strong as you think she would be, but I know towards the end, she told me once, she said, ‘I’m really ready. I just don’t want to put up with this anymore.’”
Cher soon detailed the last time she ever saw Tina Turner. “She gave me a pair of shoes the last time I saw her,” she said. “What kind of shoes? Tina Turner shoes! The big high heels that she just [walked] around in like they were nothing.”
