World

Tina Turner - one of rock's great vocalists and most charismatic performers - has died aged 83.

In a statement, her spokesperson said: "Tina Turner, the 'Queen of Rock 'n' Roll' has died peacefully today at the age of 83 after a long illness in her home in Kusnacht near Zurich, Switzerland.

"With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model."

The US-born star was one of the great female rock singers, known for her electric on-stage presence and a string of hits including The Best, Proud Mary, Private Dancer and What's Love Got to Do With It.

Among the first to pay tribute were Mick Jagger, Bette Midler, Bryan Adams, the White House and Gloria Gaynor.

Turner first found fame in the 1960s alongside ex-husband Ike Turner, with the classic song River Deep, Mountain High among their repertoire.

The domestic abuse he subjected her to - and her long struggle to get break free - was documented in a 1993 Hollywood film starring Angela Bassett, which won three Oscars.

Turner's life story was also immortalised in a popular West End show that is still running.

The singer's popularity as a solo artist waned in the 1970s and her days in the limelight appeared over, with the singer mainly playing the cabaret circuit.

However, her career was dramatically resurrected in 1983 when a cover of Al Green's Let's Stay Together became a huge hit.

Turner, then in her forties, signed a new contract with Capitol Records which led to the Private Dancer album in 1984.

It went on to sell more than 10 million copies and established her as a mega-star.

The title track from Private Dancer, as well as What's Love Got to Do With It, and I Can't Stand the Rain were among the seven singles from the record.

Her most well-known song - with its distinctive intro, steady build and powerful chorus - is probably The Best.

Released in 1989, part of the Foreign Affair album, it's actually a cover of a song by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler.

Proud Mary is also an established classic, with Turner performing up-tempo dance moves to its "rolling down the river" refrain well into her 70s at live shows.

Born Annie Anna Bullock in a segregated Tennessee hospital in November 1939, she became a Swiss citizen a decade ago.

She lived on a sprawling estate on Lake Zurich with her husband and former EMI record executive, Erwin Bach, some 16 years her junior.

The couple met in 1985, with Turner once telling Oprah Winfrey it was love at first sight when he was sent to pick her up from an airport in Germany.

"He had the prettiest face. You could not miss it," she said.

"It was like saying, 'Where did he come from?' He was really that good looking. My heart went bu-bum. It means that a soul has met. My hands were shaking."