Lionel Richie and Tina Turner in 1984; Jerry Wachter/IMAGES/Getty ImagesLionel Richie reflected on some of his most memorable moments with his longtime friend Tina Turner in a new Vogue profile.
“When I think of my dear friend Tina, I think of determination, strength, and an incredible work ethic,” Richie tells Vogue. “There are performers, there are singers and there are entertainers. Tina is all three.”
The “Hello” singer recalls Tina opening up for his Can’t Slow Down world tour in 1984, which he says she agreed to do following her divorce from Ike Turner and the release of her fifth solo album, 1984’s RIAA-certified multi-Platinum Private Dancer.
“I remember her walking into the rehearsal. She was very quiet, almost shy, with this amazing smile and personality,” Richie remembers. “Then the music started and she turned into Tina Turner. To the point where I couldn’t perform. I would just sit and watch what she was doing.”
Richie said being on stage with Tina “was the most incredible feeling of my entire life.” Like many, he said he was mesmerized by Tina’s “singing, her performance, [and] her energy.”
“From the moment, she stepped on stage with me during her comeback as the Tina Turner to recording ‘We Are the World’ to the time she took me on her Twenty Four Seven tour after I took a break,” Richie continues. “We have shared moments in history that I will never forget. My friend is a star and a living legend. A one-of-a-kind spirit that the world is blessed to have.”
By Rachel George
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
