Tina Turner Funeral Details: Pal Oprah Winfrey Arrives in Switzerland to Say Final Goodbye to Singer
Oprah Winfrey has arrived in Zurich, Switzerland, ahead of Tina Turner's funeral.
According to Radar, the TV star was in Paris for work when the sad news broke on Wednesday, May 24, that the music icon passed away, and the very next day, the media mogul's private plane was spotted touching down in the country.
While Turner's rep confirmed she would be laid to rest in a small, "private ceremony," he didn't reveal the location, though Turner spent her later years in Switzerland, which is also where she died.
As OK! reported, the mom-of-three passed away at age 83 after "a long illness," and Winfrey, 69, wasted no time in paying tribute to her good pal.
"I started out as a fan of Tina Turner, then a full-on groupie, following her from show to show around the country, and then, eventually, we became real friends," the former talk show host shared via Instagram. "She is our forever goddess of rock ‘n’ roll who contained a magnitude of inner strength that grew throughout her life. She was a role model not only for me but for the world. She encouraged a part of me I didn’t know existed."
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Winfrey also reflected on Turner's later days, making it clear that despite the Grammy winner keeping her health woes secret from the public, she confided in her closest pals.
"She once shared with me that when her time came to leave this earth, she would not be afraid, but excited and curious. Because she had learned how to LIVE surrounded by her beloved husband, Erwin, and friends," the star concluded. "I am a better woman, a better human, because her life touched mine. She was indeed simply the best."
The philanthropist vaguely discussed the singer's medical issues on the Thursday, May 25, episode of CBS This Morning.
"I was certainly aware that she was ill but I had seen her in 2019 and gone to visit her in the hospital, and she had said to me then that she was actually ready to go, meaning, ready to leave the planet," spilled the Oscar nominee. "I expected then that was going to be the last time that I saw her."