Beyoncé has paid tribute to one of her favorite female entertainers, Tina Turner, by covering one of the singer’s most popular songs.
Despite being busy packing arenas on her Renaissance Tour, the Lemonade singer made sure to take time to honor one of her biggest inspirations, who died last week aged 83.
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Donning an elegant, all-blue gown, Queen Bey performed a much more laid back version of Ike & Tina Turner’s 1966 hit “River Deep – Mountain High” on the first of her five London shows at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
While she didn’t quite match Turner’s high-energy version on the original, she did offer a reimagined version of the track almost similar to a power ballad — check out her performance below.
Bey’s connection to the singer couldn’t have been more evident than when they teamed up together at the 2008 Grammys for a thrilling performance of Ike & Tina’s classic rendition of “Proud Mary.”
Tina Turner (real name Anna Mae Bullock) died peacefully at her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland on Wednesday (May 24), as confirmed by her official Instagram page.
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Prior to her emotional performance, Beyoncé penned her ‘beloved Queen’ a heartwarming message on her website.
“My beloved Queen, I love you endlessly,” she wrote. “I’m so grateful for your inspiration, and for all the ways you have paved the way. You are strength and resilience. You are the epitome of power and passion.
“We are all so fortunate to have witnessed your kindness and beautiful spirit that will forever remain. Thank you for all you have done.”
Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Lawson, matched her daughter’s tribute with an Instagram post of her own.
“I remember this day like it was yesterday,” she wrote. “It was the day that Beyoncé was to rehearse with Tina Turner for the Grammys. We were both so excited and when she arrived and we were told that she was in the other rm we all witnessed Beyoncé, turning into a five-year-old actually skipping across the floor to embrace her.”
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“I was the biggest fan and had my own story of when I met Tina in 1972 Beyonce always talked about the two Tinas that she loved and admired. She had done a tribute to her years before at the Kennedy honors and we had a chance to meet her there.”
