Ike Turner dies at age 76

SAN DIEGO - Ike Turner, whose role as one of rock’s critical architects was overshadowed by his ogrelike image as the man who brutally abused former wife and icon Tina Turner, died Wednesday at his home in suburban San Diego. He was 76.

“He did pass away this morning” at his home in San Marcos, in northern San Diego County, said Scott M. Hanover of Thrill Entertainment Group, which managed Turner’s musical career.

There was no immediate word on the cause of death, but TMZ.com reports that according to sources close to his family, he may have died in his sleep.

Turner managed to rehabilitate his image somewhat in his later years, touring around the globe with his band the Kings of Rhythm and drawing critical acclaim for his work. He won a Grammy in 2007 in the traditional blues album category for “Risin’ With the Blues.”

But his image is forever identified as the drug-addicted, wife-abusing husband of Tina Turner. He was hauntingly portrayed by Laurence Fishburne in the movie “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” based on Tina Turner’s autobiography.

Born in Mississippi, Turner got his start as the bandleader of Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm. He and his combo recorded, at the legendary Sun Studios, what many consider the first rock 'n' roll song, 'Rocket 88,' which was released under the name Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats. The record's key feature was Turner's distorted guitar sound, due to a faulty speaker.

Relocating his band to St. Louis, around 1960 he met up with a singer from Nutbush, Tenn., named Anna Mae Bullock, whom he renamed Tina Turner, partially by marrying the teenage belter. The duo quickly won a reputations as one of the most dynamic acts in rock and soul throughout the '60s and early '70s, with songs such as 'A Fool in Love,' 'It's Gonna Work Out Fine,' 'River Deep, Mountain High," 'Proud Mary' and 'Nutbush City Limits.'