Ike Turner died on December 13, but his memorial service was held only on Friday, December 21, when many friends and acquaintances came to say good-bye to one of the most popular and greatest musicians of his time.

Tina Turner’s former husband’s funeral was part memorial service, part rock concert, as the singer’s eight-piece band, the Kings of Rhythm, performed some of Ike’s greatest hits at his funeral, Nutbush City Limits and Proud Mary included. The songs brought on their feet hundreds of people who were attending the memorial service from the Greater Bethany Community Church City of Refuge in Gardena. Sadly, this was Ike Turner’s funeral and not one of his special rock concerts.

“Daddy wouldn’t want any of us crying,” said the singer’s daughter, Mia Turner. “He would want us throw a party.” So, they threw a funeral party.

Ike Turner died at age 76. His funeral was attended by many friends, singers and fans, such us music producer and murder suspect Phil Spector and rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Little Richard, who described Ike as “one of the greatest musicians I have ever met in my life.”

But, if most of the ones to hold a speech reduced themselves to eulogizing Ike Turner, Phil Spector talked also about the singer’s popular drug and domestic abuse problems. If the others didn’t simply address this issue, Spector even threw accuses against Tina Turner and Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg, whom he accused of “demonizing” and “vilifying” Ike. He called the 1993 movie What’s Love Got to Do with It, based on Tina Turner’s autobiography, a “piece of trash movie”. Some people applauded Spector, some other reduced themselves to mourning.

Each speech was punctuated with performances by the Kings of Rhythm. The funeral concert promoter was Charlie Dutton, one of the singer’s friends and colleagues for 40 years, who called him “the most talented musical person to ever live on earth.”