Tina Turner and Ike Turner’s son, Ike Turner Jr., has died, DreamBiz Entertain has learned.
Tina’s niece, Jacqueline Bullock, confirmed that Ike Jr. passed away Saturday at a Los Angeles hospital from kidney failure. She revealed that he had struggled with severe heart problems for years and that his health had been deteriorating steadily. He also reportedly suffered a stroke in early September.
Born in 1958 to Ike Turner Sr. and Lorraine Taylor, Ike Jr. was adopted by Tina Turner early in his life and grew up surrounded by his parents’ whirlwind musical careers. After Tina’s separation from Ike Sr., Ike Jr. briefly worked as her sound engineer, though their professional collaboration was short-lived.
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Who Was Ike Turner Jr.?
Izear Luster “Ike” Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was a pioneering American musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer. Often hailed as a key figure in the birth of rock and roll, he gained global fame in the 1960s and 1970s through his work with Tina Turner as the leader of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue.
Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Ike began playing piano and guitar as a child and went on to form the Kings of Rhythm in his teenage years. His early recording, “Rocket 88,” is often credited as one of the first rock and roll songs. Throughout the 1950s, he worked as a talent scout and producer for Sun Records and Modern Records, helping launch the careers of blues legends like B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf, and Bobby “Blue” Bland.
In 1960, he formed the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, a groundbreaking soul and rock crossover act known for electric live performances and hits such as “A Fool in Love,” “River Deep – Mountain High,” and “Proud Mary.” The group toured worldwide and became a cornerstone of 20th-century rhythm and blues.
However, Ike’s later life was marked by substance abuse and controversy following Tina Turner’s revelations of domestic abuse in her autobiography I, Tina and the film What’s Love Got to Do with It. Despite his turbulent personal life, Ike’s influence on rock, soul, and blues remained profound.
He won five Grammy Awards, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside Tina Turner in 1991, and received multiple lifetime achievement honors before his death in 2007 from a drug overdose.
The Turner family’s history is one of both musical brilliance and personal struggle. With the passing of Ike Turner Jr., another chapter closes in one of the most influential — and tumultuous — dynasties in American music.
Ike Jr.’s death comes just over a year after Tina Turner’s passing
