- Ike Turner was reportedly married 14 times to different women between 1948 and 2007 when he died of a drug overdose
- He married his first wife, Edna Dean Stewart when he was just 16 years old
- Yet, his most popular marriage was with the legendary singer and Queen of Rock and Roll, Tina Turner
The legendary American musician, songwriter, and record producer, Ike Turner was married fourteen times. His wives included the award-winning singer Tina Turner and Margaret Ann Thomas. Ike Turner who was also known by the full name Izear Luster Turner Jr. and Turner’s marriage was one of the most publicized of his marriages.
While he enjoyed fame and success in his career that lasted many decades, his marriages were quite as colorful and filled with controversies. He is known to have contracted some new marriages without divorcing previous spouses.
He Was Married to Tina Turner for 16 Years
Tina Turner is generally believed to have been born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939, in Brownsville, Tennessee. Yet, Ike Turner once revealed that her real name was Martha Nell.
She is the youngest of three children born to her parents, Floyd Bullock and Zelma Priscilla.
Focusing on her marriage with Ike, they first met at the club where Ike was performing with his band, Kings of Rhythm. As an established musician, he once invited her to sing and she impressed him so much that she became a member of his band. From that point, he invested in her career so much that he coined the name Tina Turner as her stage name.
Their relationship moved from professional to romantic. Prior, she had a child named Raymond Craig with Raymond Hill in 1958, yet, it did not affect her romantic affair with Iyke. In 1960, they welcomed their first child Ronnie while he was still dating Lorraine Taylor. Two years later, the pair are said to have gotten married in a Tijuana-held wedding.
As it is, things seemed to be fine with them till she filed for divorce in 1976 due to irreconcilable differences.
The Truth About her Divorce from Ike Turner
Following her failed marriage with the record producer, she revealed that the marriage was abusive and filled with Ike’s promiscuous lifestyle. Reportedly, that was why she attempted suicide in 1968. Apparently, he was abusive to the Queen of Rock ‘n Roll even before they tied the knot. He first hit her after they recorded A Fool in Love. At the time, she told him that she did not want to continue their affair but he responded by hitting her with a wooden shoe stretcher.
Though Ike Turner claimed that he was never legally married to Tina, the pair’s marriage went through a divorce process. Ike claimed he was married to another woman when they married making their marriage illegal. As it is, they were common-law partners and they had to go through the divorce process. Pertaining to the divorce settlement, she retained her stage name, her two jaguars, and custody of her children.
The Queen of Rock and Roll was Married to Erwin Bach till her Death
Despite the drama after the failed marriage with Ike, Tina gave love a chance again when she met the German music executive, Erwin Bach in 1986. Bach was 16 years younger but it did not stop the pair.
They dated for 27 years before tying the knot in a Switzerland-held event in 2013. Unlike her previous marriage, she remained with Bach till her sad death on May 24, 2023, from multiple illnesses including kidney failure, strokes, and cancer.
See Also: Steven Tyler’s Wives, Divorce, Children, Controversies, Other Facts
Ike Turner’s Wives: Let’s Meet the Other Women He Married
Edna Dean Stewart(m.1948)
She is the first wife of Turner whom he married at the age of 16 in 1948. The details of their marriage are not well publicized. According to available records, he added 4 years to his age. Away from this, the marriage may have fallen apart when Edna decided to return home to Ruleville, Mississippi rather than move to Clarksdale with the musician. Drawing from this, it is unclear if they are legally divorced or not.
Velma Davis(m.1950)
Also known as Velma Dishman, she was married to the music producer for a brief period. Based on his book, he met and married while she was pregnant with another man’s child even though she claims the child was Ik’e own. Regardless of the paternity of Velma’s daughter, he is said to have adopted her and treated her as one of his children.
Rosa Lee Sane
She had one of the short-lived marriages with the music producer. According to reports, the Rosa Lee Sane who is from West Memphis suffered from mental issues that affected the marriage. Infact, her condition made her parents put her in an insane asylum. Nonetheless, Ike tried to take out but his effort was futile and this marked the end of his union with her as they never saw again.
Bonnie Turner/Marion Louis Lee (1952-55)
Also referred to as Marion Louise Lee, she was also into the music industry. In her career, she sang vocals and played the Piano for the Kings of Rhythm, a band led by Turner. Thus, it would not be wrong to assume her relationship with Turner gradually moved from a professional to a romantic one. They pair tied the knot on September 24, 1952, in Clarksdale. In that same year, she released her single Everybody’s Talking/ Love is a Gamble, a collaborative work with Turner. Subsequently, they started collaborating for other works. Despite their good working relationship, Bonnie ran away from Turner in 1953. However, it would take the next two years before they finalized it.
Alice
Not much is known about the Arkansas woman. From what we gathered, she and Turner never consummated their marriage as it was a convenience arrangement. Reportedly, Alice was dating Johnny O’Neal, the vocalist of his band but Turner got attracted to her and this forced him to marry her to prevent a misunderstanding with O’Neal. Whatever that means, the marriage did not last long.
Annie Mae Wilson(Mid 50s)
Like other women who worked in his band, Wilson, a Greenville native was a pianist whose relationship moved from a professional to a romantic affair. The pair are said to have gotten married in the mid-50s, which we can assume coincided with other relationships of his. This marriage did not last as well as Wilson fled to Illinois with a policeman.
Margaret Ann Thomas(1981-1990)
She got married to Turner on April 11, 1981. This marriage lasted for about 9 years making it one his longest. Apparently, he met her at a concert back in the 60s. She must have made quite an impression on him by her beauty and when Tina Turner suggested she fill in an Ikettte, it was not met with any resistance. In fact, the two started an affair that led to their daughter, Mia’s birth in 1968 while he was still married to Tina Turner.
According to the singer, he was married to Tina but had fallen in love with Thomas. Despite the deep romance between the two, they divorced in 1990 but remained close acquaintances. Thomas was the person that discovered the musician’s deceased on December 10, 2007.
Jeanette Bazzell(1995-2000)
She was born sometime in 1962 in St Louis Missouri. Jeanette Bazzell had a successful career as a singer and songwriter who became renowned during her time with the Rock ‘n Roll band, Exodus. After she met Ike Turner, they collaborated on several projects before the relationship moved to a romantic one. It would be recalled, she started out as a dancer or Ikettes in his band back in the 80s.
Reportedly, she provided support to the late singer during the low periods of his life such as when he was convicted of drug charges and sentenced to four years in prison. Unsurprisingly, they tied the knot in 1995. While many thought they would have a relationship that would last longer than previous ones, this was not the case. Sadly, they divorced in 2000.
Notably, their marriage also had instances of domestic abuse but this did not stop Bazzell from rekindling a friendship after their divorce.
Audrey Madison Turner(2006-2007)
Audrey Madison is a San Francisco native, singer, and the last known wife of Ike Turner. She met Turner in 1993 in the course of her career. Shortly after, she became a dancer in his band before later taking the position of lead singer.
It is unclear when the pair became a romantic item, yet, they walked down the aisle at the Special Memory Wedding Chapel in 2007. Reportedly, the marriage had its share of issues like his previous marriages.
It’s not surprising that they were married for only one year between 2006 and 2007 when she filed for divorce. The pair reconciled and came back together in 2007.
In 2016, Audrey revealed the nature of their marriage in her tell-all book titled Love Had Everything to Do With It. In her explanation, Turner abused her due to his bipolar diagnosis.
