R.I.P. Ike Turner

 

Gold Member
Username: The_image_dynamic

San Diego

Post Number: 3190
Registered: Dec-06
My friend Bill Ray is (was) the drummer for Ike Turner and the Kings Of Rhythm. Ike passed away yesterday at the age of 76. I thought you all would enjoy an inside and touching glimpse of his final hours that you won't find anywhere else. And for those of you just waiting in the wings with your "Tina is happy" and "Ike was this and that" comments........ save it. You didn't know him like we did, and all of that happened many years ago. He was a brilliant blues musician, rock pioneer and an overall good guy.



"I received the greatest gift today from a true legend."

December 13th, 2007

Today my friend Ike died. He was old, and had lots of problems with his health. The shock that ensued was not the death itself, but rather the events that surrounded it. Allow me to elaborate.

Last week (Dec. 5 or so) Ernest Lane who is Ike's oldest friend in the world asked each of the band members from the 2002-2007 band to show up at Ike's place because, according to E.L., "Ike needs some cheering' up and we' gonna surprise him". Oh yeah, I was up for that!

So, we were directed to show up at Ike's place at 10:00am Wednesday the 12th of December, 2007.Paul Smith (AKA Reverend Paul) left San Jose at midnight to drive down for the occasion(!) and made it in around 9am. Ernest and Mack Johnson showed up earlier, and Armando Cepeda and Kevin Cooper were there as well. I got there 15 minutes late, but I was there!

Ike was sleeping, as he had risen earlier and eaten his breakfast then gone back to bed because he felt crappy. There was food on the table so we all sat down and started to eat.It was really strange at that point...a wave of happiness and reminiscence overtook us, and we sat there and laughed and joked about this and that..."remember the time when..." and all that banter. After breakfast, we started to gather ourselves to play some music. I got a little kit set up and the others tuned up.

Ann (an ex-wife of Ike's) went into the room to try and roust him. I heard some screams coming from the room but did not want to speculate as to what was going on (none of my business). Pretty soon it was apparent that something was DEFINITELY wrong--Armando called our attention to the wails coming from behind the door and I went and knocked. Ann was calling for Paul and I went in to see my friend lifeless on the bed. Instinctively I called 911 and the rest is kind of a blur.

The Paramedics worked for nearly 1/2 hour trying to revive Ike but to no avail, he was gone. Cat's (my girlfriend) sister works for the ME (Medical Examiner) office and I insisted that she be the one to offer carriage to my friend. I mean, how often does someone you know be the one who picks up the deceased? (note: my sister passed away in June, and Sandy handled that one too). So Sandy shows up and is on double duty- offering compassion to a friend and being the professional that she is.

Today, I knew that Ike was going to go and it was not until tonight that I put it all together. There was some devine intervention throughout all this. Think about it- the people that he felt the most comfortable with were all there, seeing him off from this world.

My gift from Ike was that I was allowed to witness the passing of such a beautiful soul into the next realm of existence. I saw today a man "check out", surrounded by trusting souls who allowed him the peace and comfort to pass on to the "next thing". And he did it all at home and not somewhere cold and clinical, like a hospital bed.

As I watch the coverage of our loss, the media seems to NOT be able to let go of the stereotypical picture of Ike. Can I say one thing? Are people allowed to make mistakes? Now I will ask you the same question that I always ask the judgmental types: "What would you do if Hollywood took your darkest moment and exploded it into a movie that assassinates your character?" No one is perfect and it sickens me to see this dead horse be beat to death.

Shortly after I joined his band, I listened to a whisper that I would be by his side when he died. I didn't ever say anything about that but I did tell Ike that I would "be his last drummer". Today, when I closed the door behind him in the coroner's van I truly became "his last drummer".

Ike, it was truly a pleasure. I will see you on the other side but don't hold your breath!! By your example I was shown that you CAN live a great life and have fun doing it. I will always love you as if you were my grandfather.
 

Gold Member
Username: Nyyfan13

Fi SSD USA

Post Number: 7547
Registered: Jul-06
Great story Brad. Thank you for sharing it.

RIP Ike.
 

Silver Member
Username: Jemone

Stone Mountain, Georgia United States

Post Number: 254
Registered: Jan-06
Well,unfortunately Brad, a lot of people will always base their opinion on something they see in the movies. We often fail to remember that the stories are often sensationalized, and certain details omitted, to be more entertaining. These films often show one side, and can be crucially damaging to the other, having shown only one point of view. Like my mother often said " no matter how flat you make a piece of paper, it still has two sides". I am certain we were not privy to the more slatted details that would have painted Tina in a more unflattering light. We did not have inside insight to Ike's life like you did, and this is not my first time hearing that he was much different than people thought he was. May he truly rest in peace.
 

Gold Member
Username: Killerzracing71

Fredericksburg, Virginia United states

Post Number: 1773
Registered: Aug-05
"no matter how flat you make a piece of paper, it still has two sides".

nice quote ima use dat
 

Gold Member
Username: Drivingreckless

DD 9515f, 148.2 db Mov...

Post Number: 4895
Registered: Apr-06
seems as if everyone is dying these days
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