Cher and Angela Bassett reflect on Tina Turner's final weeks

Since the announcement of her passing this week, tributes have been pouring in for the late Queen of Rock n' Roll, Tina Turner. The most recent to reflect on the last moments they spent with Turner are Cher and Angela Bassett.

Taking to Instagram, Bassett paid tribute to the late Rock n' Roll legend, whom she depicted in the late singer’s biopic, What's Love Got to Do with It.

The actress shared a touching moment captured between the two with an emotional caption. In her statement, she began, “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?”

“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,” Bassett’s tribute continued.

What's Love Got To Do With It

Revealing the singer’s final words to her, the 64-year-old wrote, “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,” the tribute continued.

“I am honored to have known Tina Turner. I am humbled to have helped show her to the world. So on today, while we mourn the loss of this iconic voice and presence, she gave us more than we could have ever asked,” she added.

“She gave us her whole self. And Tina Turner is a gift that that will always be 'simply the best.' Angels sing thee to thy rest…Queen.”

 

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80’s pop diva, Cher, also paid tribute to Turner, revealing to MSNBC how she visited the 83-year-old before her death. She recalled spending time with her friend, prior to her passing, stating, “I know that everyone is very sad, but the truth is… 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.’”

“I started going to visit her because I thought, ‘I need to put this time into our friendship so she knows that we haven’t forgotten her,’” Cher continued.

“She was really happy,” she told MSNBC. “Like the first time I went, she was laying on this little chaise that she looks out on the lake with. She said ‘I can’t spend too much time’ and five hours later, we were laughing like crazy'”.

“She was having a good time in spite of the fact that she was really sick and not wanting people to know about it, but she had her dialysis machine in her house and so that’s how she was doing it,” the singer recalled.

Discussing the pair’s friendship, Cher explained, “As a woman, she gave you lots of strength. And I’m sure she’s encouraged so many young people, but 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.”

“She was such a force. Honestly, I think she just hit everything head-on,” she added.

“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.”