Angels Bassett will forever be tied to Tina Turner. The actress famously played the music icon in the 1993 biopic What’s Love Got to Do With It. Bassett earned a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for her dynamic performance as Turner. She also had the honor of inducting Turner into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 2021. It should come as no surprise that Bassett delivered an incredible tribute to Turner following news of her death today (May 24) at 83.
Bassett shared her tribute via Instagram writing, “How do we say farewell to a woman who owned her pain and trauma and used it as a means to help change the world? Through her courage in telling her story, her commitment to stay the course in her life, no matter the sacrifice, and her determination to carve out a space in rock and roll for herself and for others who look like her, Tina Turner showed others who lived in fear what a beautiful future filled with love, compassion, and freedom should look like.”
She continued, “Her final words to me – for me – were, ‘You never mimicked me. Instead, you reached deep into your soul, found your inner Tina, and showed her to the world.’ I shall hold these words close to my heart for the rest of my days.”
Bassett concluded, “I am honored to have known Tina Turner. I am humbled to have helped show her to the world. So on today, while we mourn the loss of this iconic voice and presence, she gave us more than we could have ever asked. She gave us her whole self. And Tina Turner is a gift that will always be ‘simply the best.’ Angels sing thee to thy rest…Queen.”