Tina Turner was a trailblazer. Dubbed the “Queen of Rock n’ Roll”, Turner reached mainstream success in the 1960s and never looked back, releasing hits as late as 2005. Her larger than life performances made her a music icon that served as an inspiration for countless artists such as Beyonce and Mariah Carey. At 83 years of age, Turner passed away peacefully on May 24 after battling intestinal cancer since her diagnosis in 2016.

Tina Turner’s path to superstardom was not an easy one. Over interviews with Rolling Stone and Oprah Winfrey, Turner opened up about her broken relationship with her mother, who refused to acknowledge her despite her reaching peaks most people can only dream of. From Turner’s point of view, there was no other way to explain her mother’s actions other than the fact that she, at the most basic instinct, did not love her.

Sadly, Turner’s hardships did not end there. Before becoming a solo act, she suffered under her abusive husband Ike Turner, who, on their wedding day, forced her to go to a brothel. The physical violence Turner experienced was arguably even worse. However, she did not let the abuse define her — no one, not even her husband, was going to stop her from becoming the greatest woman in rock n’ roll history. The unfortunate reality is that Turner’s experience resonates with a lot of women, which is why her reaching the heights she did despite everything is such a powerful symbol, not only for women in the music industry, but also for women in general.

In the 2021 documentary Tina, Turner said outright that her life was a painful one without a happy ending. “It wasn’t a good life. The good did not balance the bad. I had an abusive life, there’s no other way to tell the story. It’s a reality. It’s [the] truth. That’s what you’ve got, so you have to accept it,” said Turner. A life of success marred with unimaginable pain. It’s saddening that such a powerful woman was deprived of basic human experiences, and one can only hope that her passing was a reprieve from all the suffering. Quoting her song “The Best”, the only thing there is left to say about her is: