Legendary singer Tina Turner is giving up her U.S. passport in order to become an official Swiss citizen in a country she has called home for almost two decades.
In breaking news on Friday, an unusual announcement was made by Tina Turner, according to her local Swiss newspaper and reported by the Associated Press. It seems Ms. Turner is calling it quits on her U.S. citizenship.
By renouncing her allegiance to the U.S., she will become a citizen of Switzerland where she has lived since 1995. Turner has lived in Zurich with her partner, music executive Erwin Bach, in a lake house named Chateau Algonquin.
In the German daily paper, Blick, she is quoted as saying, “I’m very happy in Switzerland and I feel at home here… I cannot imagine a better place to live.”
The 73-year-old was born in Nutbush, Tennessee, as Anna Mae Bullock, and she already has the locals up in arms. The mayor of Brownsville, Tennessee, Jo Matherne , said in a statement, “Tina Turner — as she has gotten worldwide fame — has never forgotten her roots. I think any time a person, whether they’re world-renowned or the most meek and mild, makes the decision to change their citizenship we need to step back and think what causes that decision.”
The “Proud Mary” singer will have to wait until her request is officially cleared by the Swiss Council of States before she receives her new passport, but it appears Turner is officially calling Switzerland her homeland.
She’s not the only Hollywood celebrity to call the European country home: other stars such as Celine Dion, Shania Twain and Phil Collins are fellow property owners.
Turner first rose to fame in the 1960s as a part of the duo Ike and Tina Turner. Her violent relationship with her ex-husband was well-documented in the 1993 film starring Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett, What’s Love Got to Do with It?
Her solo career marked a huge comeback in the late ’70s, leading up to her hit album Private Dancer in 1984. She has sold over 200 million records to date.
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