Gregory Robinson
The heartbreaking moment Tina Turner's death was announced to the audience at her London West End show was captured on camera.
Fans of the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll learned the shocking news of the singer’s death while attending the theatre show dedicated to her incredible life.
On Wednesday (24 May) Turner died at her home in Kusnacht, near Zurich, Switzerland after ruling the music industry for six decades.
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The famous rock and soul musician was known for her career-defining hits including ‘Proud Mary’, ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It’ and ‘I Don’t Wanna Fight’.
The eight-time Grammy winner’s extraordinary life served as the inspiration for a West End musical - Tina: The Tina Turner Musical - at the Aldwych Theatre in London. Theatregoers who attended last night’s show learned of her death during the performance.
While the cast and crew had the interval, they appeared on stage to share the emotional news with the audience.
The announcement was met with gaps from the audience. One spectator, Hannah Brown, filmed the cast announcement and shared it on TikTok with the in-video caption: “Tonight’s West End show of Tina what a tribute RIP QUEEN!!!”
She also wrote: “West End show of TINA tonight. Unfortunately got told the sad new of her passing in part two! Cast did her so much justice what a tribute!!! RIP QUEEN!!!”
Fans who also attended the show on Wednesday expressed their sadness and shock on social media. One person on Twitter penned: “Last night @lizzie1708 kindly surprised me with tickets to the Tina Turner musical. Sadly we found out that she passed away during the interval so it was a strange feeling going back in for the second half.
"The cast came on stage to announce the tragic news, they read a lovely statement and we had a one-minute silence. It was a truly unbelievable way to experience the rest of show with this news hanging over us but it was also a beautiful reminder of Tina Turner's incredible music and astonishing talent. She was simply the best. RIP.”
A third fan wrote: “Surreal night to be at @TinaTheMusical. Power to the whole cast for their tributes and phenomenal performances."
Tributes have been pouring in for the iconic musician after news of her death was announced on Wednesday.
Singer Ciara said that ‘heaven has gained an angel’ in her tribute shared on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Madonna shared a picture of the pair together from their iconic 1997 Rolling Stone photoshoot.
The singer captioned her Instagram Story post: “Thank you Tina Turner!! You paved the way for so many women! God bless you!!”