Ike Turner was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. He was born on November 5, 1931, in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He is considered one of the leading men of 1950s rock and roll, with much of his career brilliance noted about his work with Tina Turner as the founder of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Ike met Tina Turner when she was 17 years old in a club in St. Louis (Missouri). He married her in Mexico in 1962, and they formed the group Ike & Tina. They had children together, divorcing in 1976 due to the continuous aggressions of Ike, who beat and forced Tina to sing sick and his public and repeated infidelities with other women.
Ike Turner had a history of cocaine addiction stretching back more than 30 years. He was arrested numerous times for possession of narcotics and spent 17 months in jail. In 1989, he was jailed for drug charges, and he served two years and two months in jail. Going to jail was the best thing that ever happened to him, as he was able to end his "15-year party" with drugs. After his release in 1991, he relapsed in 2004, and died of a drug overdose in 2007. The San Diego County medical examiner said that Turner died of a cocaine overdose, and that a long history of cardiovascular disease and emphysema contributed to his death. At the time of his death, his fortune was estimated at $500,000.
After Tina left him, Ike Turner continued his journey in the music business, working with other artists like Chaka Khan, Marcy Thomas, Jeanette Bazzell Turner, and Holly Maxwell. He continued creating new music in addition to being featured in documentaries on rock and roll and soul music.
