Tina Turner left an indelible mark on music and pop culture before her death at age 83.

Born Anna Mae Bullock in 1939, Turner’s journey from a small-town girl to one of the most successful solo artists in history was turbulent. Sharing stages with legends like the Rolling Stones, surviving her abusive marriage to Ike Turner and delivering chart-toppers like “Proud Mary” and “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” Turner became a symbol of resilience. The singer, who would have celebrated her 85th birthday on Nov. 26, told PEOPLE in 1981 that a psychic once told her, “You will survive and go on.”

But as Tina stepped back from the stage in 2018, she started to focus on her health. In one of her final public appearances, at the premiere of the Broadway musical inspired by her life, Tina, Turner reflected on her incredible journey. “I’ve been blessed with a wonderful career,” she wrote in the musical’s program. “I don’t need another show, but I get so many cards and letters — I still can’t believe how people feel about me onstage and the legacy they say I left.”

In her final years, Turner spent her days with her second husband, Erwin Bach, who donated a kidney to his wife in 2017. Six years later, Turner died in May 2023 at age 83.

Here’s a closer look at Tina Turner’s struggle with her health, her eventual death and the legacy she left behind.

How did Tina Turner die?

Turner died on May 24, 2023, following a long period of illness, including a stroke in 2013, an intestinal cancer diagnosis in 2016 and kidney failure, which required an organ transplant in 2017. The singer had also been diagnosed with high blood pressure in 1978.

Turner’s health problems were exacerbated after she suffered a stroke in 2013, three weeks after marrying her second husband, Erwin Bach, whom she had been dating for 26 years. Turner wrote in her 2018 memoir, My Love Story, that she worried about potentially being paralyzed and feared that she would never dance again.

Turner recovered the ability to walk but was diagnosed with intestinal cancer just three years later, in 2016. She then turned to homeopathic medicine to treat her high blood pressure after unpleasant side effects from traditional treatment, something she greatly regretted later in life, as it led to the degradation and eventual failure of her kidneys.

In one of her final Instagram posts, posted in March 2023, the star warned her fans to take their health seriously. “Show your kidneys love! They deserve it,” Turner wrote. “My kidneys are victims of my not realizing that my high blood pressure should have been treated with conventional medicine.”

She added, “For far too long I believed that my body was an untouchable and indestructible bastion.”

In her 2018 memoir, Turner recalled feeling “terrible guilt” over her decision to forgo traditional treatment, but praised her husband Bach, writing, “He never reproached me for my mistake. Instead, he was loyal, kind and understanding – and determined to help me get through all this alive.”

Bach donated a kidney to Turner in 2017, allowing her to undergo a life-saving procedure. She lived for six years following the transplant.

Where did Tina Turner die?

Turner died at her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland, where she spent her final years with her second husband Bach.

The couple moved to Switzerland in 1995. After Turner’s death, a friend in the music industry told PEOPLE, “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.”

Friend and designer Stephen Sills recalled Turner saying, “I’ve had a wonderful last part of life. I’ve enjoyed it, but I’m tired,” just two years before her passing.

When did Tina Turner die?

Turner died on May 24, 2023. “The ‘Queen of Rock’n Roll’ has died peacefully today,” her publicist said at the time. “With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model.”

Turner’s son, Ronnie, died of complications from colon cancer just five months prior. The Grammy winner memorialized him with a post on social media, writing, “Ronnie, you left the world far too early. In sorrow I close my eyes and think of you, my beloved son.”

Soon after her death, Angela Bassett remembered Turner and her portrayal of the singer in the 1993 film What’s Love Got to Do with It.

Bassett shared the last words Turner said to her in a tribute posted shortly after news of her death broke. “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. I am honored to have known Tina Turner,” Bassett wrote on Instagram.

Legendary performer and long-time friend Cher told PEOPLE about her final visit with Turner at her Swiss home.

“She was lying on the chaise and said, ‘I’m tired.’ Then for two hours we were running around the house, and she was laughing hysterically,” Cher said. “She just needed to talk and yell. That’s the Tina that I loved. We had the best time and talked about the old times.”

How did the public react to Tina Turner’s death?

Turner’s death prompted an outpouring of love and recognition from those who worked with her and were inspired by her.

Fans of the singer took to social media and the gates of her home in order to pay tribute, leaving flowers, candles and messages of remembrance and thanks.

Turner’s longtime manager, Roger Davies, remembered Turner in a statement to PEOPLE. “Tina was a unique and remarkable force of nature with her strength, incredible energy and immense talent,” he wrote. “From the first day I met her in 1980 she believed in herself completely when few others did at that time.”

A year after Turner’s death, Miley Cyrus’ Grammy Awards tribute to the late singer went viral. Wearing a sparkling Bob Mackie dress and big hair as a nod to Turner’s style, Cyrus performed the musician’s iconic dances set to Turner’s hit song “Proud Mary.”

What legacy did Tina Turner leave behind?

Turner is widely considered one of the greatest performers of all time.

Throughout her career, she won eight Grammys, including three Grammy Hall of Fame Awards, and five Billboard awards. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. With beloved songs like “River Deep Mountain,” “The Best,” “Proud Mary” and dozens more, her discography continues to be influential.

Turner is remembered as “the Queen of Rock and Roll,” but also as a survivor of her abusive relationship with Ike Turner. She was a legendary talent in singing, dancing, stage presence and a fashion icon. The singer’s legs were almost always on display, and her love of body-bearing dance costumes popularized the “naked illusion dress.”

The legendary designer and decades-long collaborator on Turner’s iconic style, Bob Mackie, remembered the singer after her death, telling PEOPLE, “It was so hard to hear that news, but at the same time, I’m not worried about her. Wherever she is, she’s laughing and having a good time, I hope.”

Turner inspired millions with her story, through her music, her memoirs and the Broadway musical about her life, Tina, which she praised for broadcasting one of her life lessons: “You can turn poison into medicine.”