Tina Turner's Son Ike Jr. Sentenced To Jail On Crack Possession Before Her Death

Ike Turner Jr., son of the late Tina Turner and her ex-husband Izear Luster "Ike" Turner, landed behind bars shortly before his mother died. The 64-year-old was thrown into a Texas jail after he was arrested and charged with drug possession and tampering with evidence.

This update joins the many stories of the Turners' drug abuse struggles, with Tina getting addicted to drugs, which she initially used to cope with the physical and emotional abuse she experienced during her relationship with Ike. Her ex's death was also ruled a cocaine overdose by the San Diego County medical examiner in 2008.

Two-time' Rock N' Roll Hall of Famer Tina died on Wednesday, May 24, leaving behind an unbeatable musical legacy and her family troubles. One such trouble would be her son's drug habit, which had become so prevalent that it landed him in an Alvin, Texas, jail cell 18 days before she passed away at 83.

PEOPLE confirmed in an exclusive report that Ike Jr. was arrested on Saturday, May 6, and has since been charged with crack cocaine possession and tampering with evidence. Alvin police had pulled the talent scout over at a traffic light on 200 N. 6th St. at 12:09 AM on the date mentioned above because the tail light of the white 2013 Ford Fusion he was driving was out. 

The equipment violation issue became elevated when authorities noticed him attempting to consume the narcotics in his possession, subsequently seizing  1.7 grams of crack cocaine and .7 grams of methamphetamine. In the words of Captain Q.T. Arendell of the Alvin Police Department:

"He tried to eat the drugs before the officers could seize them from him."

The outlet further pointed out that Jessica Salinas-Esquivel, a passenger at the time, was also arrested and charged with possessing a controlled substance — methamphetamines. Ike Jr. is yet to post the $70,000 bail bond for his release.

The saddening news comes nearly one month after Tina's daughter-in-law, Afida Turner, opened up about the personal heartache and pain the Queen of Rock' n' Roll endured as a mother. As it turned out, she had tragically outlived two of her four kids— three of whom are Ike's sons that she adopted during their romance.

Her adopted son Craig Raymond died by suicide in 2018, and her only biological son Ronnie passed away after battling colon cancer five months before her death. The Blast noted that Afida divulged that the "We Don't Need Another Hero" hitmaker carried the pain of losing Craig and Ronnie through the years while battling her decline in her health.

Despite that, the "Nutbush City Limits" vocalist leaned on her Buddhist faith, and her daughter-in-law has taken comfort in her belief that Tina has now been reunited with her late children. As she stated:

“They never had time to spend together, and now all three of them are together.”

The multiple Grammy Award-winning singer's death was followed by a slew of comments and speculations regarding the cause of her death. One of the most frequent assumptions was that her longtime battle with a kidney problem led to her demise. 

Per The Blast, the singing voice of actress Angela Bassett in the 1993 film, "What's Love Got to Do with It" disclosed in March that her kidney issues were tied to hypertension, which she got diagnosed with in 1978. 

During this year's International World Kidney Day, she touched on the subject, writing on social media, "Show your kidneys love! They deserve it. My kidneys are victims of my not realizing that my high blood pressure should have been treated with conventional medicine."

"I have put myself in great danger by refusing to face the reality that I need daily, lifelong therapy with medication. For far too long, I believed my body was an untouchable and indestructible bastion," the NAACP Image Award recipient stated.

Before her revelation, Tina had shared that she wanted to be remembered for her impact as the female pioneer of Rock' n' Roll and an inspiration to other women who wanted to "strive for success on their own terms." She added that she was unafraid of passing away, declaring her readiness to "embrace and accept every day with what it brings."