SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Rock-and-roll legend Ike Turner died of a cocaine overdose, the San Diego County medical examiner announced on Wednesday.
The 76-year-old Turner was found dead on Dec. 12 at his home in San Marcos near San Diego. The music icon had a long history of cocaine addiction, dating back more than 30 years.
Turner's autopsy revealed that a long history of cardiovascular disease and emphysema had contributed to his death.
Turner had been hailed as one of rock's critical architects for his work with his band Kings of Rhythm and his collaboration with his then wife Anna Mae Bullock, more famously known as Tina Turner. He married Tina in 1958 and by 1972 they had won a Grammy for their cover of "Proud Mary."
Tina left the band and their marriage on claims that Turner had been an abusive husband, which he adamantly denied. In his 2001 autobiography, he admitted slapping and punching her to the ground, but said he had never beaten her. He was portrayed in the film, "What's Love Got To Do With It," by Lawrence Fishburne, based on Tina's autobiography. He claimed that the media portrayed him very negatively and that his contributions to music had been overshadowed.
After Tina divorced him in 1976, Turner soon turned to a life of drugs. His addiction to cocaine drained his finances and led to several arrests, most of which were drug related. Turner could not attend his own Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction because he was serving a prison term at the time.
Despite his checkered past, Turner is credited by many rock historians with making the first rock 'n' roll record, "Rocket 88," in 1951. Produced by the legendary Sam Phillips, it was groundbreaking for its use of distorted electric guitar.
Turner won his second Grammy in early 2007 for "Risin' with the Blues."
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