DALLAS — A Southeast Texas man, who is a huge Tina Turner fan, found himself, on the night of her death, staying in the Dallas hotel room where Turner stayed after escaping her abusive husband, Ike, in 1976.
Marcus Carter, 39, of Beaumont, was headed to Dallas, Wednesday, in his car bearing the name “Anna Mae," which true fans will know was Turner’s real name, when he heard the news of her death.
Coincidentally, Carter had booked the “Tina Turner suite” in the Lorenzo Hotel in Dallas months ago.
On July 3, 1976, Tina and Ike Turner's rocky marriage came to a head. They were in Dallas on the eve of the American Bicentennial, gearing up to launch a tour. On that 1976 night, the late global music superstar's well-documented and sadly abusive marriage with Ike Turner had her running across Interstate 30 for safety.
Carter shared a video tour of the hotel room which is decorated with photos of Turner.
One of the photos on the wall is special to Carter.
“This picture, in particular, features my uncle, Jimmie Smith, a Silsbee native as a saxophone player,” Carter said of his uncle, who played with Turner for years.
While Carter grieves the loss of Turner, he says her music helped him persevere through life's obstacles.
Turner took refuge at the Ramada Inn, not far from where she and Ike were staying at what was then known as the Hilton-Statler Hotel.
It's rumored she left Ike as he fell asleep.
These days, the building that once house that Ramada Inn operates as the Lorenzo Hotel.
"This was the turning point in her life -- that she had had enough of that life and she wanted something different," said Al DeBerry, the managing director at the Lorenzo Hotel. "She got in here with 36 cents and a Mobil gas card, walked up to the front desk, and was battered and bruised."
Many say that separation from Ike was the pivotal moment that launched an already promising career.
Turner would go on to record a catalog of timeless and Grammy-winning songs.
These days, her portrait is prominently featured at the front of the Lorenzo's main lobby.
Upstairs on the 11th floor, though, the room at the Lorenzo where she stayed for three days, hiding from Ike, remains. Since branded as "Escape," the room pays homage to the woman they called "The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll." Inside, you'll find a wall lined with photos of Turner, pillow cases with her face on them and even quotes from the music legend written on the ceiling.
On Wednesday, it was announced that Turner has lost her life after a long battle with illness. She was 83 years old.
But at the Lorenzo Hotel, her legacy will continue to live on.
Said DeBerry: "We really are sorry and sad to see this day come."