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Tina Turner with Cher© GettyImages

Cher’s friendship with Tina Turner amid health struggles: ‘She was so strong’

Cher went on to say that Tina gave her a special gift during one of her last visits to Switzerland.


Daniel Neira
Daniel Neira - Los Angeles
Senior WriterLos Angeles
MAY 25, 2023 12:34 PM EDT

Cher is looking back at her longtime friendship with Tina Turner, following sad news about her death at 83 after a series of health struggles. The two stars were known for maintaining their relationship over the years, since the early days of their careers.

During a recent interview on ‘The Beat With Ari Melber,’ Cher shared some details about their last years together. “She fought this sickness for such a long time and she was so strong as you think she would be,” Cher explained.

Cher© GettyImages

“But I know towards the end, she told me once, she said, ‘I’m really ready. I just don’t want to put up with this anymore,’” she added. The singer also revealed that she accompanied Tina during her dialysis treatment, after being diagnosed with intestinal cancer in 2016 and having a kidney transplant in 2017.

“I started going to visit her because I thought, ‘I need to put this time into our friendship, so she knows we haven’t forgotten her,’” Cher said. “So, we all took turns going and spending time with her and it made her happy.”

Tina Turner Hugs Cher At The MTV Awards Party© GettyImages

Cher went on to say that Tina gave her a special gift during one of her last visits to Switzerland. “She gave me a pair of shoes the last time I saw her,” she recalled. “What kind of shoes? Tina Turner shoes!”

The legendary musician reportedly died “peacefully” in her home near Zurich, as confirmed by her publicist Bernard Doherty to PA news. “With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model,” the statement reads. ”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.”