FAMILY MATTERS

Tina Turner Feared Son Would ‘Turn Out Like’ Abusive Father

“[Tina] sometimes told me, ‘You don’t want to stay with him. He is going to be like his father,’” Turner’s daughter-in-law said. “It is pretty rare for a mother to say that.”

The “Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll” feared her son Ronnie Turner would ‘turn out like’ his abusive father for many years, Tina Turner’s daughter-in-law shared in an interview with the Daily Mail. “[Tina] sometimes told me, ‘You don’t want to stay with him. He is going to be like his father,’” Afida Turner, who was married to Ronnie until he died in 2022, said. “It is pretty rare for a mother to say that.” Ike Turner put Turner through heinous abuse during their 14-year marriage—a feature of her life that the music star was very open about before her saddening death earlier this week of natural causes. Like his father, Ronnie struggled with substance abuse, and Afida described him as a “heavy drinker” when she first met him. “At first, he was kind of like his father,” his now-widowed wife admitted. “He made a very big effort to keep me. In the beginning, it was very hard because I was not willing to stay with him.” Ultimately, the daughter-in-law said Turner’s son was doing better and had changed course until colon cancer tragically took his life. “Tina Turner will be with us forever,” Afida said. “Rest in peace with your two sons, Ron, and Craig.”