Flashback: Tina Turner Reveals Why She Renounced U.S. Citizenship To Move To Switzerland

The legendary singer Tina Turner passed away last week at her home in Switzerland at the age of 83 after a “long illness.” In a newly resurfaced interview, Turner explained why she decided to renounce her U.S. citizenship to move to Switzerland years ago.

Turner Reveals Why She Left America

“I have left America because my success was in another country,” Turner told Larry King on CNN back in 1997. “‘Private Dancer’ was the beginning of my success in England. And basically, Europe has been very supportive of my music.”

When asked if Europe gave her more support than America, Turner replied, “Yes, hugely.”

King pointed out that Turner is a huge star in the U.S., but she responded by saying that she is “not as big as Madonna” in America.

“I’m as big as Madonna in Europe,” she continued with a grin on her face. “I’m as big in some places as the Rolling Stones.”

Turner went on to say that she spent a few years living in England before she “met a man” and moved with him to Germany. She then bought a house in the South of France, but ultimately,” she considered her “home” to be in Zurich, Switzerland.

Related: Tina Turner Revealed How She Wanted To Be Remembered In Powerful Interview Weeks Before Dying At 83

Turner’s Move To Switzerland

The “man” that Turner was referring to was the German music executive Erwin Bach, who she married in 2013 after dating for thirty years. They moved to Switzerland when he was sent there for work, and the “Proud Mary” singer said that she “always wanted to go to Switzerland” and “was very happy.”

Later in the interview, King asked if Turner was aware that she is a “feminist hero” in America.

“I’m beginning to,” she admitted. “It wasn’t something that I planned. I kind of see it as a gift because of the life I lived, it had a meaning.”

“And I think that the meaning was all of what is happening now,” she added. “I think that had I not given the story to the world, maybe my life would not be as it is.”

Check out this full interview for yourself in the video below.

Related: Tina Turner Said She Was ‘Really Ready’ For Death Before Her Passing, According To Cher

Turner’s Death

Fans were stunned when it was announced last Wednesday that Turner had died peacefully at her home in Küsnacht near Zurich.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner. With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow,” the official statement read. “Today we say goodbye to a dear friend who leaves us all her greatest work: her music. All our heartfelt compassion goes out to her family. Tina, we will miss you dearly.”

Turner’s representatives later confirmed to Daily Mail that she died of natural causes, adding that “with her the world loses a music legend and role model.”

Turner had spent the years before her death battling intestinal cancer, and she’d suffered from high blood pressure for over forty years. Bach even donated his kidney to her in 2017 after she signed up for possible assisted suicide due to the pain her body was in.

In a time when so many liberal celebrities are threatening to leave America for political reasons, we’re glad to see that Turner’s reasoning behind her move had nothing to do with that.

Rest in peace, Tina Turner!