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Tina Turner’s former camera operator has expressed his devastation at hearing the tragic news of her death while watching Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.
Tributes have been pouring in following the death of The Best singer at the age of 83.
Chris Rhodes, who worked with Turner on her Private Dancer tour in 1985, appeared on Good Morning Britain on Thursday.
At the time of working with the legend, he was the camera operator who made history, as it was the first time flying a camera over an act on stage.
He shared: ‘She was very detailed and very meticulous about where she walked, and I worked with her for six weeks for the beginning of the tour.’
Chris recalled the rehearsals and what Turner said to him during their practice.
‘There’s no dancer like her,’ he said.
‘I just danced over with the camera over her head and created shots of her going out to the audience and getting closer to them and bringing her back on stage.’
Chris heard the tragic news on Tuesday night while he was in the audience of the musical.
‘I didn’t know until intermission, and I was inside watching the show and the music just made me tear up.
‘I was tearing up with this whole crowd there and then I went to have a break in the intermission, and I came out and saw the news crews, and I came out and they said she passed away at 7.25.
‘That was the exact moment I had walked into the theatre in that fourth row seat.’
The show has been in London’s West End at the Aldwych Theatre for the last five years and the production, which is also on Broadway, has received critical acclaim and numerous award nominations, including a win at the Laurence Olivier Awards.
Earlier on Thursday’s Good Morning Britain, a snippet of footage was played that showed Kristina Love, who plays Tina, addressing the audience.
Overcome with emotion while standing on stage, she said: ‘We’re here tonight because one woman boldly lived her life, from cotton fields to stardom.’
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His tribute came after Dame Arlene Phillips appeared on the programme via video link, and reflected on working with Turner for her Private Dancer video.
‘It was a dream come true,’ Dame Arlene said.
‘She was as sweet as can be, and working with her and giving her all the movement for this epic video was a dream come true, it really was.’
The former Strictly Come Dancing judge added: ‘The thing about Tina was that every word she sings is part of a story.’
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV1.
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