Tina Turner bid farewell to her eldest son, Craig Raymond Turner, weeks after he died by suicide.
The “Proud Mary” singer, 78, tweeted a photo on Friday, July 27, of herself holding a red rose while spreading Craig’s ashes off the side of a boat. “My saddest moment as a mother,” she wrote.
My saddest moment as a mother. On Thursday, July 19 2018, I said my final goodbye to my son, Craig Raymond Turner, when I gathered with family and friends to scatter his ashes off the coast of California. He was fifty-nine when he died so tragically, but he will always be my baby pic.twitter.com/XzZQCdz8tl
— TinaTurner (@LoveTinaTurner) July 27, 2018
“On Thursday, July 19, 2018, I said my final goodbye to my son, Craig Raymond Turner, when I gathered with family and friends to scatter his ashes off the coast of California,” she continued. “He was 59 when he died so tragically, but he will always be my baby.”
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles coroner’s office confirmed to Us Weekly that Craig was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on July 3 at his home in the Studio City neighborhood of L.A.
Hours before the news of her son’s death broke, Tina was in attendance at a fashion show for Giorgio Armani’s Privé Haute Couture Fall 2018 collection during Paris Fashion Week.
The eight-time Grammy winner gave birth to Craig when she was 18 years old. He was her only child with ex-boyfriend Raymond Hill, who performed as a saxophonist in Ike Turner’s band Kings of Rhythm. Tina and Ike eventually began dating, and they welcomed a son named Ronnie Turner in 1960. They married two years later, and Ike adopted Craig soon after. The couple divorced in 1978. Ike died from a cocaine overdose at age 76 in 2007. Tina has been married to music producer Erwin Bach since 2013.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
