Tina Turner.
After decades of personal turmoil and pain,Tina Turner’s final years were filled with happiness as she embraced a peaceful life in Switzerland.
Stephen Sills, a designer and longtime friend of the late “Proud Mary” singer, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue that Turner was ready for whatever lay ahead.
“She told me two years ago, she said, ‘Stephen, I’m ready to go anytime. I’m not scared of death. I’ve had a wonderful last part of life. I’ve enjoyed it, but I’m tired,'” he recalls.
Tina Turner.Herb Ritts/August
Herb Ritts/August
For Turner — whodied on May 24 at age 83 following a long illness— much of that happiness was thanks to herhusband Erwin Bach, a former music executive she married in 2013 after 27 years together.
“In her final years, she was happy and secure in her relationship,” a music industry source says of Bach, 67. “She had found true love and was able to live without fear. She had a group of friends in Switzerland, and truly loved the people she was around.”
Tina Turner in 2018.Franziska Krug/Getty
Franziska Krug/Getty
Sills, who helped the star decorate her home in the South of France, says Turner struggled with dialysis after receiving a kidney from Bach in 2017, but remained upbeat.
He recalls a recent phone conversation with Turner’s housekeeper about three weeks ago, as he had plans to visit the star at her home in Switzerland this spring.
Tina Turner and Erwin Bach.Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty
“She was such an amazing friend and she had such a force of creativity,” Sills continues. “The Tina Turner persona of performing, that was a made-up person. We used to talk about it, and she created that and it was a beautiful image. But she was absolutely positive and energetic and interested and curious. She was just an amazing person.”
Meanwhile, the industry source adds that Turner “was filled with courage” after overcoming years of adversity, and made the most of her tranquil surroundings (She and Bach had two lakefront properties in Switzerland).
“When Tina was able, she liked to be outside and enjoy the air and beauty of the surroundings,” the insider says.
For more on Tina Turner, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.
source: people.com
