Ike Turner Jr, Grammy Winner, Dies At 67 Due To Kidney Failure

Ike Turner Jr., a Grammy-winning sound engineer and musician and the son of music icons Tina Turner and Ike Turner Sr., has died at the age of 67. His death was confirmed by his family, who stated that kidney failure was the cause.

Tina Turner’s niece, Jacqueline Bullock, shared the news on social media, writing, “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of my cousin, Ike Turner, Jr.” She added, “Junior was more than a cousin to me, but rather a brother, as we grew up in the same famed household together.”

Born in 1958 to Ike Turner Sr. and Lorraine Taylor, Ike Jr. was adopted by Tina Turner when he was two years old. In a 2018 interview with Daily Mail, he reflected on his upbringing, saying, “Tina raised me from the age of 2. She’s

the only mother I’ve ever known.” He also recalled spending much of his childhood under the care of housekeepers while his parents toured the world.

Music came naturally to Ike Jr., who was surrounded by rhythm and blues from an early age. “As the son of Tina and Ike Turner, from an early age, his talents were evident as there wasn’t an instrument he did not want to play,” Bullock noted in her statement to The Post. While he began as a drummer, his adoptive mother encouraged him to shift focus. “Tina Turner insisted that he break down his drum kit after each practice. This led him to favor the keys,” Bullock said.

He later became an integral part of his father’s music business, helping manage the legendary Bolic Sound Studios, where several major artists recorded.

Over the years, Ike Jr. built a strong career as a sound engineer and musician. His deep understanding of blues and technical expertise earned him widespread respect in the music community. In 2007, he received a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album for his work on his father’s record Risin’ With The Blues.

“While he faced the same challenges that many of us have, he would become a sought-after sound engineer, musician, and Grammy winner,” Bullock added.

Despite his professional success, Ike Jr.’s personal life was marked by difficulties. His relationships with both parents were strained. In his 2018 interview, he revealed that he had not spoken to Tina Turner for over a decade, citing her move abroad and family differences. He also spoke candidly about the abuse he endured at the hands of his father, who died of a cocaine overdose in 2007.

In May 2023, just weeks before Tina Turner’s death at 83, Ike Jr. was arrested in Texas for possession of crack cocaine and methamphetamine. Despite his struggles, friends and family remember him as a man of resilience, passion, and musical brilliance.

Ike Turner Jr. is survived by his siblings, Raymond Craig, Michael, Ronnie, and Mia Turner. His passing follows the loss of his brother Ronnie in 2022 and his mother Tina Turner in 2023.