Music legend Tina Turner was already in retirement when news of her death was announced on Wednesday. She had also sold the rights to her entire music catalog two years before.
The publishing company BMG acquired the rights to Turner’s music in 2021 for around $50 million in a deal the company deems its single-largest acquisition of an artist’s music, Fox Business reports. Turner shared how comfortable she was with the acquisition, which included her name, image, and likeness over hits like “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” “The Best” and “Private Dancer.”
“Like any artist, the protection of my life’s work, my musical inheritance, is something personal,” Turner said at the time.
“I am confident that with BMG and Warner Music, my work is in professional and reliable hands.”
“We all know how iconic Tina’s work is,” BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch told Rolling Stone after the deal. “When you look at the dimensions Tina’s career has entered even in the last few years between musicals and documentaries, there’s still so much untapped potential with her legacy.”
BMG expressed the “deep loss and sadness” over the news of Turner’s passing on Wednesday. The company referred to itself as the “custodian of Tina Turner’s music interests,” in a statement on its website.
“With her the world loses a music legend and a role model,” the statement said. “Our thoughts are with Tina’s husband Erwin Bach and her family and friends.”
Masuch added, “There will only ever be one Tina Turner. Her music and her life’s journey touched so many people. We send our condolences to her dear manager and husband Erwin and all those who loved her.”
At the time the deal was closed, Masuch noted the close friendship he had with Turner and her husband and they had been discussing the deal before her team formally reached out to kick off what turned into three months of negotiations.
Turner passed away Tuesday from a long illness in her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland, near Zurich, People reports. The music icon became a Swiss citizen in 2013 and had been living her life in privacy in the years leading up to her death.
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