Tina Turner’s son, Craig Raymond Turner, reportedly passed away on Tuesday in what looks like a suicide.
Craig was found by police in his home in Studio City, California, according to a report by TMZ. Law enforcement sources told the outlet that they found him with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and pronounced him dead at the scene. he was 59 years old.
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Craig was the eldest son of iconic singer-songwriter urner. He was born when his mother was just 18 years old. His biological father was Raymond Hill, a saxophonist who played in the band of Ike Turner. Later, when Turner married Ike, he adopted Craig.
Little is known of Craig, who never followed his parents’ footsteps into the entertainment business. In April, his adoptive brother, Ike Jr., gave an interview with the Daily Mail, where he revealed that Craig was “in real estate.” He added that Craig lived in Los Angeles.
“My brothers are doing OK. They get money from a trust fund,” he said.
The piece was primarily concerned with Turner herself, who Ike Jr. said had “abandoned” her family in the U.S. since moving to Switzerland. The legendary musical family was the source of many scandals over the years. After 16 years of marriage, Turner fled the family home in the middle of the night, wearing a blood-stained suit and carrying nothing. However, Ike went his entire life denying any violence against his wife.
In his interview, Ike Jr. backed him up to some extent.
“My mother and father had no more fights than the people next door to you,” he said. “I think their problem was her mouth and his mouth – my father didn’t take s— from nobody.”
However, he admitted that he had been his father’s victim at times as well, alleging that Ike had beaten him with the butt of a pistol after he took a job as Turner’s sound engineer.
These days, Turner is back in the headlines thanks to a biographical musical playing in London’s West End. It is titled Tina: The Musical and focuses primarily on her flight from Ike’s home and her subsequent fight to gain legitimacy as a solo performer.
At 78, Turner rarely leaves Switzerland. According to TMZ, she is in Paris this week attending events associated with Paris Fashion Week. She has yet to make a public response to news of her son’s passing.
