It has been confirmed by various media sites that the oldest son of Tina Turner has committed suicide, he was 59. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner told TMZ and PEOPLE that Craig Turner was pronounced dead at 12:38 p.m. from a self inflicted gunshot wound at his California home on Tuesday, an official autopsy is pending. Craig was working as a real estate agent according to the Hollywood Reporter. Craig and Tina are pictured below in happier times.
Tina was just 18 when she gave birth to Craig, he was the son of saxophonist Raymond Hill, who performed with Ike Turner’s band Kings of Rhythm. Ike Turner adopted him after he and Tina married in 1962, Ike died in 2007
Just days before the tragic event Tina had been attending the Giorgio Armani Privé Haute Couture fashion show in Paris, France, as part of the Haute Couture Paris Fashion Week. She has yet to make comment about the death of her first born but it has been well documented in the past by Tina herself, that the abuse she endured at the hands of Ike Turner had a particularity devastating effect on Craig, who she said was an ‘emotional child’.
The iconic singer has lived in Europe since 1995 with her German record-executive husband Erwin Bach. In 2013, she relinquished her American citizenship. 78 year old Tina recently launched a musical in London called Tina, which details her often stormy life.
