Tina Turner is a prime example of perseverance and will in the music industry. The music icon turns 78 years old today (Nov. 26).

Turner, whose real name is Anna Mae Bullock, started her music career as a backup singer in Ike Turner's group Kings of Rhythm, but was officially introduced as Tina Turner when Ike & Tina Turner Revue came together in 1960. The group had their run as one of the best R&B groups of that time, delivering indelible hits like "A Fool in Love" and "River Deep - Mountain High."

However, the commercial success hid the severe emotional and physical abuse the Tennessee native suffered at the hands of Ike. After a cycle of drug use and abuse, she left Ike for good in 1976.

"I walked out without anything and had to make it on my own for my family and everyone so I just went back to work for myself," she said recently on U.K.'s The Jonathan Ross Show. “It was very difficult and dangerous because Ike was a violent person and at that point he was on drugs and very insecure. I had no money. I had no place to go.”

Turner rose as a solo artist throughout the 1980s. She starred in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and returned with hits like "We Don't Need Another Hero" (Mad Max's theme), 1983's "Let's Stay Together," 1984's "What's Love Got to Do With It" (her most recognized song) and a 1989 cover of Bonnie Tyler's "The Best." During her storied music career, she won 11 Grammy Awards and sold over 180 million records worldwide.

Turner's life story has now been turned into a stage production. TINA, a new musical based on the life of legendary singer, will open at the Aldwych Theatre in London in April 2018. Tony-nominated actress Adrienne Warren will play Tina Turner while actor Kobna Holbrook Smith will portray Ike Turner.

Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, TINA will begin previews on March 21, 2018, with an official opening set for April 17, 2018. If the production is successful, there's a good chance it might appear on Broadway in New York City.

Happy Birthday, Tina Turner!

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