Relationships

‘Craig was lonely’: Tina Turner opens up about losing her son to suicide

Oct 16, 2018

Tina Turner has opened up for the first time since her son Craig Raymond Turner committed suicide in July. Source: Getty

It’s been a rough time for the ‘Proud Mary’ songstress. Earlier this year, Tina Turner was forced to say goodbye to her son after his tragic death from suicide.

And now Tina has opened up for the first time since her son Craig Raymond Turner committed suicide in July. “I think Craig was lonely, that’s what I think really got him more than anything else,” she told CBS News on Sunday.

The singer’s eldest son was found dead at the age of 59 in July from a gunshot wound. Devastated, Tina said her final farewell to her son and scattered his ashes off the coast of California.

Sharing a photo on social media at the time, the ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’ songstress could be seen standing on the edge of a boat as she dropped a rose into the sea in memory of her son. Wrapped up in a grey coat, she looked down towards the water as family cradled her in their arms. She described it as the “saddest moment as a mother”.

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Three months later, it seems the singer has been able to find some peace with her son’s passing. “I have pictures all around of him smiling, and I think I’m sensing that he’s in a good place. I really do,” Tina added.

It comes after she revealed earlier this month just how close she came to death following a series of major health problems. Excerpts of her upcoming biography, My Love Story, cited by the Daily Mail, sees the 78-year-old singer telling fans about her health in recent years.

Tina wrote about how she started to notice changes in her otherwise healthy body in 2013 when she married second husband Erwin Bach. Three months after her wedding, Tina suffered a stroke, something she described as a “lightning bolt strike my head and right leg”.

She was forced to learn how to walk again after the stroke and she admitted it left her feeling miserable. If that wasn’t enough, she also experienced high blood pressure which impacted her kidneys so much that they were only functioning at 35 per cent.

If you’re depressed or need someone to talk to, there are many 24/7 support lines available, including Lifeline on 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467, MensLineAustralia on 1300 789 978 and Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.