According to her publicist, Turner, a well-known musician who initially rose to recognition in the 1960s, died on May 24 at the age of 83 in her home in Switzerland.
Bassett played Turner in the 1993 biopic “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” which earned her a nomination for an Academy Award.
Bassett remarked in a statement provided to NBC News by her representative that “it’s impossible to say goodbye to someone as impactful as Turner.”
She questioned, “How do we say goodbye to a woman who owned her pain and trauma and used it to help change the world?”
Tina Turner “showed others who lived in fear what a beautiful future filled with love, compassion, and freedom should look like through her courage in telling her story, her commitment to stay the course in her life, no matter the sacrifice, and her determination to carve out a space in rock and roll for herself and for others who look like her.”
She also revealed Turner’s final words to her.
“You never imitated me, were her parting words spoken for me. Instead, you dug deep within yourself until you discovered your inner Tina and displayed her to the world. I will keep these words close to my heart for the rest of my days, she reflected.
After TIME named Bassett one of the 100 most influential persons of the year in April, Turner penned an essay for the publication in Bassett’s honor.
