Angela Bassett Pens Farewell Tribute to Tina Turner: ‘I Am Humbled to Have Helped Show Her to the World’

thewrap.com:

Angela Bassett shared her thoughts and reflected on her friendship with rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Tina Turner, who died Wednesday after a long illness at her home in Zurich, Switzerland.Turner’s death has inspired a slew of reactions and tributes from celebrities and fans alike.

Bassett, who was nominated for an Academy Award for playing Turner in the 1993 biopic “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” issued a statement Wednesday afternoon sharing her sentiments on the music icon and her impact. “How do we say farewell to a woman who owned her pain and trauma and used it as a means to help change the world?” Bassett began in a statement sent to TheWrap. “Through her courage in telling her story, her commitment to stay the course in her life, no matter the sacrifice, and her determination to carve out a space in rock and roll for herself and for others who look like her, Tina Turner showed others who lived in fear what a beautiful future filled with love, compassion, and freedom should look like.”“What’s Love Got to Do With It” premiered told Turner’s life story as a performer, beginning with her days singing in her church’s choir as a child to her success as a major recording artist.

Within it, the film also charted her years of abuse endured at the hands of ex-husband and former collaborator Ike Turner. In her message, Bassett shared the last words Turner said to her. “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,’” Basset wrote. “I shall hold these words close to my heart for the rest of my days.