Details of Tina Turner’s funeral have been revealed after the iconic singer died on Tuesday at the age of 83.
Elaborate plans for the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s funeral have not yet been made public, but a family spokesperson confirmed that only the star’s closest friends and family will attend the intimate ceremony.
“There will be a private funeral attended by close friends and family,” the spokesperson confirmed to The Sun.
It came after Turner’s cause of death was confirmed yesterday after she passed away at her home in Küsnach near Zurich after a long, unspecified illness.
Tributes to the star poured in from the music industry and beyond following news of her passing, as fans flocked to her home in Switzerland to lay flowers and light candles.
Elaborate plans for the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s funeral have not yet been made public. Pictured: Tina Turner performing at a concert on March 3, 2009 at London’s O2 Arena
People gather in front of the gate of Chateau Algonquin, the home of the late singer and stage performer Tina Turner in Küsnacht, Switzerland, on Thursday
Turner lived with her husband in their lake house in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland
Turner’s reps have since confirmed that the lead singer of The Best died of natural causes.
They announced the sad news of her death earlier this week on Tuesday, May 24, saying, “With her, the world loses a music legend and role model.”
She had previously battled colon cancer and suffered from high blood pressure for more than four decades.
Since news of Tuner’s death broke, well-wishers have gathered outside the star’s lakeside home to pay tribute to the music legend who had made Switzerland her home for nearly three decades.
Last night, a large crowd began to gather outside the cast-iron gate, enveloped in darkness, with fans coming up one by one to lay flowers or put out candles, some flickering through red-tinted glass jars.
“You are simply the best,” read one of the dozen messages between the bouquets.
“I am shocked,” Miran Znider, a 48-year-old Slovenian who lives nearby, told AFP as he fought back tears. “I didn’t expect it to happen so early.”
Asked why he had come, Znider said, ‘Because she is the queen, the queen of all women. I love Tina.’
A view of the home of the late singer Tina Turner in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland, May 25, 2023
Tina Turner is pictured with husband Erwin Bach at the Giorgio Armani Prive Haute Couture Fall Winter 2018/2019 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on July 3, 2018
He was one of many who flocked to the Algonquin Castle in Kusnacht, on Lake Zurich’s exclusive Goldkueste (Gold Coast), where the 83-year-old rock queen had lived for nearly three decades.
As people gathered outside the high gate, flanked by two large illuminated columns and emblazoned with “Algonquin” in gold lettering, Turner’s music blared from one of the cars parked nearby.
“Today is a very sad day,” 48-year-old Ozgur Arzik told AFP.
“I actually grew up with Tina Turner’s sons, and I live near here. I used to listen to her songs and I’m really sad that we lost her,” he said. “I just wanted to be here.”
The American star gave up her American citizenship 10 years ago to become Swiss.
“With the death of Tina Turner, the world has lost an icon,” Swiss President Alain Berset tweeted.
“My thoughts are with the family of this impressive woman who has found a second home in Switzerland.”
The Kusnacht Municipality issued a statement saying that “Tina Turner inspired people around the world with her unique voice and touched many residents of Kusnacht with her warmth and humility.”
“She was a proud citizen of Kusnacht,” it added, praising her closeness to the community, saying she had sponsored a lifeboat called “Tina” and donated Christmas lights.
A man wearing a Tina Turner concert T-shirt stands next to flowers and candles at the gate of the late singer’s home, Switzerland, Thursday
A woman stands next to flowers and candles at Tina Turner’s home in Küsnacht, Switzerland, on Thursday
A woman and her daughter placed a bouquet of flowers at the front door of Tuner’s home in Switzerland on Thursday
People light candles and lay flowers at the gate of the house of singer and stage artist Tina Turner on Wednesday night
A woman bends over to light a candle at Tina Turner’s home after news of her death
Candles are lit at Tina Turner’s home on Wednesday night as news of her death broke
Turner moved to the wealthy Alpine nation in 1995 with her longtime German partner Erwin Bach, 67.
In 2013, three months after marrying Bach and receiving her Swiss passport, Turner renounced her US citizenship.
The couple had long rented their castle due to restrictions on foreigners owning property.
In 2021, the couple reportedly put down $76 million for an estate of 10 waterfront buildings in the municipality of Staefa, on the northern shores of Lake Zurich.
At the time, Bach told the Handelszeitung that the 22,300-square-foot estate, with a swimming pool and private lakeside area, would serve as a “new weekend retreat.”
Turner has been hailed as a model Swiss citizen by the Swiss media, noting that she had to learn German and also pass a local citizenship test and an interview to obtain her citizenship.
And as soon as she had her passport in hand, she headed to the polling stations for the frequent popular vote in the country, which is known for its direct democratic system.
In 2021, the University of Bern awarded her an honorary doctorate for her “unique musical and artistic life’s work.”
Flowers and candles are seen in the park of Chateau Algonquin, Tina Turner’s home in Küsnacht
Flowers and candles will be laid on Thursday at the gate of Chateau Algonquin, the home of the late singer and stage performer Tina Turner in Küsnacht, Switzerland
People take photos of flowers and candles placed on the gate and inside at Chateau Algonquin, the home of the late singer and stage performer Tina Turner
Mourners and fans of Tina Turner gather outside her home in Kuesnacht on Thursday after news of her death