“There was no other person who could come close to who she was,” Cher told MSNBC.
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As Tina Turner tributes continue to roll in following the Queen of Rock N’ Roll’s death on Wednesday (May 24), Cher not only gave a tribute, but also brought closure of sorts as she opened up about Turner’s final months.
The “Believe” singer spoke on MSNBC’s The Beat with Ari Melber just hours after the tragic news broke. She discussed the rock superstar’s battle with an undisclosed illness and why she chose to visit her recently.
“I started going to visit her because I thought, ‘I need to put this time into our friendship, so she knows we haven’t forgotten her,’” Cher, 77, explained. “So we all took turns going and spending time with her, and it made her happy.” She also recalled visiting Turner at her home in Switzerland.
“Then, five hours later, we were laughing like crazy and she wanted to get up and show everything that she’d bought in the house,” Cher continued. “She was having a good time in spite of the fact that she was really sick and not wanting people to know about it.”
No cause of death was mentioned at the time of Turner’s passing, but Cher remembered seeing a dialysis machine at Turner’s home, typically used by those with kidney failure. Erwin Bach gifted Turner, his wife, a kidney in 2017.
“She fought this sickness for such a long time and she was so strong as you think she would be, but I know towards the end, she told me once, she said, ‘I’m really ready. I just don’t want to put up with this anymore,’” Cher reflected.
The “I Got You Babe” star considered Turner to be “one of the great artists.” She added, “As a woman, she gave you lots of strength and I’m sure she’s encouraged so many young people… she gave me lots of strength sometimes and I gave her lots of strength, too. I think we were perfect friends for each other truthfully.”
Cher believed Turner walked through life with a distinct vigor. “She wasn’t about to stop. She might not have won every battle, but she fought every war. She was there fighting for all the things she believed in,” revealed the Goddess of Pop.
Listen to Cher’s tribute to her late close friend below.
WATCH: Cher reflects on her close friend Tina Turner’s legendary life.
“There was no other person like her. There was no other person who could come close to who she was.” pic.twitter.com/lqhuCeobwt
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) May 25, 2023
