LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Tina Turner's daughter-in-law Afida Turner claims that the late singer feared that her son Ronnie Turner might follow his father Ike Turner's abusive behavior. Tina, who has been vocal about the abuse she endured at the hands of Ike, had cautioned Afida that Ronnie might act in a similar manner.
Afida, who is a singer as well, revealed in an interview with DailyMail that Tina "Sometimes told me, 'You don't want to stay with him. He is going to be like his father.'" Afida, a French-born woman, admitted that Ronnie did show indications of unsettling conduct early on in their relationship. She asserted that Ronnie, who had a history of drug-related arrests, was a "heavy drinker" when she first met him. She claimed, however, that she "made him stop drinking and go to the gym," and that "he was doing very well."
READ MORE
'He made a very big effort to keep me'
Afida, who was married to Ronnie in 2007 until his death in 2022, said, "At first, he was kind of like his father, but after that, he was going very well," adding that she had warned Ronnie she wouldn't stay with him if it persisted.
Afida said, "He made a very big effort to keep me. In the beginning, it was very hard because I was not willing to stay with him." Ronnie died at age 62 from colon cancer-related complications a few months before his mother on December 8, 2022.
Afida finds some comfort in the thought of Tina being reunited with her sons. "Tina Turner will be with us forever. Rest in peace with your two sons, Ron and Craig. I love you all very much," she said. Craig died by suicide in 2018, which Tina referred to as her "saddest moment as a mother."
How did Tina survive Ike Turner's abuse?
Ike, who died in 2007 from a heroin overdose at the age of 76, physically and verbally abused Tina throughout the duration of their 14-year marriage. The eight-time Grammy winner said in her memoir, 'I, Tina', that Ike was abusive and promiscuous during their marriage, which even prompted her to attempt suicide by Valium overdose in 1968.
Tina believed she was prepared to leave Ike by 1978 after a string of hits including 'River Deep' and 'Mountain High'. She could no longer put up with his "torture" and the harm it was doing to their four sons. She said, "I was living a life of death. I didn't exist. But I survived it. And when I walked out, I walked. And I didn't look back," according to BBC.
Tina had to start over after moving away, earning money by singing in Las Vegas and making appearances on various TV shows. The singer has said that it was her 1970s conversion to Buddhism that gave her the strength to leave Ike Turner. She claimed that chanting had improved her clarity. The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll said, "I started seeing my life - I started really seeing that I had to make a change," according to BBC.
