Tina Turner Statue Unveiled in Tennessee Town Where She Grew Up

A ten-foot bronze statue of Tina Turner was unveiled on Saturday, September 27, 2025, in the small Tennessee community where she spent her youth. The sculpture celebrates the late singer’s extraordinary career — from her Grammy-winning records to her electrifying live performances — and her enduring place in popular culture.

The ceremony took place in Brownsville, roughly an hour east of Memphis, near Nutbush — the rural area where Turner attended school as a child. As a teenager she went to high school just a short walk from the park where the statue now stands.

Crafted by sculptor Fred Ajanogha, the figure depicts Turner with her distinctive voluminous hair and a microphone in hand, captured mid-performance. Ajanogha said he sought to convey her dynamic stage presence, the extended-index-finger gesture she often used with a microphone, and the flowing mane of hair he likened to a lion’s.
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Turner died on May 24, 2023, at age 83 at her home in Küsnacht, near Zurich, after a long illness. Her celebrated catalog includes classics such as “Nutbush City Limits,” “Proud Mary,” “Private Dancer” and “We Don’t Need Another Hero,” the latter featured in the film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Her film appearances include roles in Tommy and Last Action Hero.

She first rose to prominence alongside Ike Turner in the 1960s and ’70s, later forging a remarkable solo resurgence in the 1980s with the chart-topping single “What’s Love Got to Do With It” (1984). Throughout her career she inspired artists across generations — from Mick Jagger to Beyoncé and Mariah Carey — and earned the informal title “Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll.”

The statue debut coincided with the 10th annual Tina Turner Heritage Days, a local festival honoring her early life in rural Tennessee. Sculpted in clay and cast in bronze, the monument required about a year from concept to completion.

Attendees included fans, family members and community supporters. Karen Cook, 59, who traveled from Georgia with a cousin of Turner’s, said the ceremony was a meaningful tribute: “She’s an incredible artist — I grew up listening to her. Having Tina honored here means a lot to this community,” Cook said.

Funding for the project came from roughly 50 donors. Notably, Ford Motor Company contributed $150,000; the company is constructing an electric truck factory in nearby Stanton.

The statue is installed near the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center in Brownsville, which houses a museum dedicated to Turner. The museum opened in 2014 inside the restored Flagg Grove School, the one-room building Turner attended in Nutbush. The school, which had fallen into disrepair and was later used as a barn, was moved from Nutbush to Brownsville by tractor-trailer before its renovation into the museum.

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