Angela Bassett remembers Tina Turner’s last words to her

Following the death of Tina Turner on Wednesday, actress Angela Bassett remembered the trailblazing powerhouse’s resilience and talent.

Bassett, who portrayed the late singer in the 1993 flick “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” honored the star’s steadfast determination and recalled the final words Turner shared with her.

“How do we say farewell to a woman who owned her pain and trauma and used it as a means to help change the world?” Bassett’s lengthy statement on Instagram began.

She applauded Turner’s “courage in telling her story” and “commitment to stay the course in her life, no matter the sacrifice.”

Bassett, 64, also championed the “Legs” singer for “her determination to carve out a space in rock and roll for herself and for others who look like her.”

“… Tina Turner showed others who lived in fear what a beautiful future filled with love, compassion, and freedom should look like,” she wrote, in part.

“Her final words to me — for me — were ‘You never mimicked me. Instead, you reached deep into your soul, found your inner Tina and showed her to the world,’” the “Black Panther” actress continued, vowing to hold the words “close to my heart for the rest of my days.”

“I am honored to have known Tina Turner. I am humbled to have helped show her to the world,” she added. “So on today, while we mourn the loss of this iconic voice and presence, she gave us more than we could have ever asked. She gave us her whole self. And Tina Turner is a gift that that will always be ‘simply the best.’”

Bassett, who portrayed Turner in the biopic opposite Laurence Fishburne, revealed last year that the “What’s Love Got to Do with It” singer did her hair and makeup for the last day of filming back in the ’90s.

“It was funny because everyone kept knocking on the door, wanting to know if — wanting to be so helpful: ‘Do you need anything? Anything to drink? Anything? A comb?’” Bassett told InStyle. “And she was like, ‘No, no, no. We’re fine. Leave us alone.’ And she did my makeup and hair in a quarter of the time that my hairstylist did. And it was just as fabulous.”

Bassett also honored “The Best” singer during the 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, saying how “blessed” she was by Turner’s “remarkable gift to inspire.”

“Imagine, a black girl from Nutbush, Tennessee, who embodied more talent than her small town could have ever dreamed,” the “American Horror Story” actress said, in part, at the ceremony. “Imagine that same girl breaking through every barrier to one day make history.”

The 12-time Grammy winner died Wednesday in her Switzerland home at 83 years old after a legendary career and a lifetime hardship, enduring abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, Ike, and struggling to secure deals as a solo artist.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner,” read an official statement on Turner’s Instagram page. “With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow.”

“Today we say goodbye to a dear friend who leaves us all her greatest work: her music. All our heartfelt compassion goes out to her family,” it continued. “Tina, we will miss you dearly.”

Bassett wasn’t the only star to pay tribute to the queen of rock and roll.

Fellow A-listers remembered the “icon” and “legend,” including Magic Johnson, singer Ciara and model Naomi Campbell.