A new HBO documentary, titled TINA will reveal an intimate look at the life and career of musical icon Tina Turner, charting her improbable rise to early fame, her personal and professional struggles throughout her life and her even more improbable resurgence as a global phenomenon in the ‘80s.
The documentary explores the singer’s legendary hits and tumultuous personal life.
“I had an abusive life, there is no other way to tell the story,” says the 81 year old.
“It wasn’t a good life. The good did not balance the bad. It’s a reality. It’s a truth. That’s what you’ve got, so you have to accept it.
“Some people say the life that I lived and the performances that I gave, the appreciation, is blasting with the people. And yeah, I should be proud of that. I am. But when do you stop being proud? I mean, how do you bow out slowly? Just go away?”
In the film, she describes how she now wants to step back from the spotlight and enjoy her remaining years in privacy, as well as discussing how she now suffers from a form of post-traumatic stress disorder due to the abuse she suffered at the hands of her former partner and musical collaborator, Ike Turner.
The film also features her second husband, Erwin Bach. In the documentary, they are seen returning to America from their home in Switzerland to open her Broadway musical.
“She said, ‘I’m going to America to say goodbye to my American fans and I’ll wrap it up’, and I think this documentary and the play, this is it — it’s a closure,” he said.
With a wealth of never-before-seen footage, audio tapes, personal photos, and new interviews, including with the singer herself, TINA presents an unvarnished and dynamic account of her life and career.