Tina Turner feared for her life as she suffered third-degree burns, broken bones during her first marriage with Ike Turner

2023-05-26 03:21

'Sex with Ike had become an expression of hostility — a kind of rape — especially when it began or ended with a beating', recalled Tina Turner

Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Tina Turner had to go through a lot of torture during her abusive marriage with Ike. Both of them had successful careers, but the ‘Queen of Pop’ suffered immensely behind closed doors. She was left emotionally broken and financially ruined, and physically battered in their relationship which lasted close to two decades. Their marriage ended in 1978, and she opened up about her pain five years later, revealing that she was ‘insanely afraid’ of him.

“I was living a life of death. I didn't fear him [Ike] killing me when I left, because I was already dead. When I walked out, I didn't look back,” she told a media outlet. Born Anna Mae Bullock, she joined Ike’s band, the Kings of Rhythm as a vocalist, was promoted soon as lead singer, and was given the stage name Tina Turner by him. The two got romantically involved and she got pregnant with his baby. But, not able to take it any further, she told Ike that she wants to end the relationship with him. Ike’s response was violent and made Turner fearful to even think of walking away. He 'struck her in the head with a wooden shoe stretcher,' while she was pregnant.

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'He used my nose as a punching bag'

Turner in her first memoir opened up about Ike’s violent behavior in bed, “Sex with Ike had become an expression of hostility — a kind of rape — especially when it began or ended with a beating. What had been ugly and hateful between us before became worse with every snort of cocaine.” She further talked about it in detail in her autobiography, “He used my nose as a punching bag so many times that I could taste blood running down my throat when I sang. He broke my jaw. And I couldn’t remember what it was like not to have a black eye,” reports Daily Mail.

'I felt like Martin Luther King'

During her Dallas' tour in 1976, she finally left him and told Ike about it. He hit her all the way back to the airport. Turner told that as soon as Ike went to sleep, she left at night with just '36 cents in her pocket and a Mobil credit card' in her wallet. She recalled ''I felt proud. I felt strong. I felt like Martin Luther King."