Tina Turner prepares to become a Swiss citizen (VIDEO)

GlobalPost

It might be a sad day for American R&B fans, but the Swiss cultural pantheon has just increased by one: Legendary singer Tina Turner is becoming a citizen of Switzerland, after residing in the alpine nation since 1995.

Turner is reportedly "happy" in Switzerland, according to a spokesperson addressing VOA, and is planning on forfeiting her US citizenship for a red Swiss passport.

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The 73-year-old, originally named Anna Mae Bullock, has passed a civic examination and other testing, wrote Agence France-Presse — although she'll still need to secure permission from both local authorities and the canton of Zurich before she can assume the full rights of a citizen.

Famous for major hits including "What's Love Got to Do With It," "Proud Mary, "The Best," "Private Dancer," and others, Turner is known for her flamboyant and at times ferocious sense of style— as well as her abusive marriage to Ike Turner in the 1960s and 1970s.

Turner currently resides in the town of Kuesnacht, near Lake Zurich, and has been learning to speak German after nearly two decades of residence in Switzerland.

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