Heartbreaking Revelations Unveiled in Autopsy Report of Tina Turner’s Son Ronnie

Renowned singer Tina Turner faced numerous personal tragedies throughout her life, including the loss of her son, Ronnie Turner. Tina herself passed away in May 2023, just months after Ronnie’s death on December 8, 2022.

According to initial reports from TMZ, Ronnie Turner collapsed after experiencing difficulty breathing. Despite efforts to revive him through CPR, he passed away shortly after receiving emergency assistance. It was noted that Ronnie, much like his famous mother, had been dealing with health issues for several years, particularly in the later stages of his life.

Autopsy reports can often be delayed, but Ronnie Turner’s cause of death was confirmed soon after his passing. On December 13, 2022, the Los Angeles Times reviewed the coroner’s report, which indicated that complications from metastatic colon carcinoma were responsible for his death. Colorectal cancer, which includes both colon and rectal cancer, is notoriously lethal, especially once it spreads to other parts of the body, as noted by the National Cancer Institute. The report also mentioned that atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, a condition affecting blood flow, contributed to his passing.

Although some autopsy reports take months, Ronnie Turner’s cause of death was revealed shortly after he departed the world. On December 13, 2022, the Los Angeles Times reviewed his heartbreaking coroner’s report, which listed his cause of death as complications of metastatic colon carcinoma. While colorectal cancer — an umbrella term including colon and rectal cancer — is already quite deadly, per the National Cancer Institute, it’s especially difficult to treat once it migrates to other areas of a person’s body. With that said, the coroner also noted that atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, a disorder that impacts healthy blood flow, also ushered in his demise.

Although they had other children from prior relationships, Ronnie Turner was the only biological child Tina Turner and ex-husband Ike Turner shared. Upon his death, Tina took to Instagram to honor her son. “Ronnie, you left the world far too early,” she wrote about the 62-year-old. “In sorrow I close my eyes and think of you, my beloved son.” 

Sadly for Tina, Ronnie was the second child she outlived. Her oldest son, Craig Turner, died by suicide at age 59, in 2018. “I still don’t know what took him to the edge,” Tina Turner told BBC News. “I have no idea what pulled him down, except something that followed him with loneliness.” In the same interview, Tina, who was a practicing Buddhist, revealed that, though she was going through her “sick period,” she expected to live into her 90s. Ultimately, the singer died after an illness at 83. She had had a brush with intestinal cancer in 2016, and also had struggled with kidney failure and a stroke. 

“I think, for all of us who have faced serious illness, whether our own or of someone we love, it gives us a heightened appreciation of everyday life,” Turner told AARP in May 2021. “Sometimes when we go through difficult experiences such as illnesses, it can feel like we are in a never-ending winter, and that spring will never come. But I know from experience that as long as we choose hope over despair, we can feel peace no matter what.”

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