As Sheila Ferguson pays tribute to Tina Turner, a look back to when she criticised a tribute act for the star

Celebrities and fans worldwide are continuing to reflect on the passing of the legendary singer Tina Turner. The likes of Sir Mick Jagger and Oprah Winfrey have all shared tributes to her in the last few days.

Former lead singer of the Three Degrees took to her Instagram to share her thoughts on the death of the iconic superstar and said: “My darling friend @tinaturner has died. OMG, I am beside myself. The times we shared over decades from the chicken bone circuit where we all started. The impact Tina had on the music industry, her love of family and friends, her insatiable humour and love of life were immense.”

In November 2021, Sheila Ferguson, who is best known for performing in the Three Degrees appeared on Good Morning Britain with Susanna Reid and Ben Shephard. The Mirror reported that Tina Turner (then 81) was “duking it out in court with Dorothea ‘Coco’ Fletcher aged in her 30s who performs in an unofficial tribute show called Simply The Best.”

When asked by the presenters what she thought about Dorothea, Sheila Ferguson said the following: “Her vocals aren’t as good as Tina, number one. Impersonating Tina Turner is a no no, that’s number two.”

The Mirror then went on to say that “Ben then commented on Sheila’s ‘personal experience’ of being impersonated, but wasn’t expecting her response." Sheila then said: “I do. She was ugly, she looked like a dog, and the thing is, every time I went to a party in Majorca some guy would say ‘oh you sat on my knee and sang Dirty Old Man’ and I said ‘I never sat on your knee and I never sang Dirty Old Man to you.”

Fans were quick to share their thoughts or rather criticisms of Sheila Ferguson following her comments. One said: “Sheila Ferguson seems like a genuinely foul person.” #GMB, whilst another commented: “Love tribute bands. Sheila is horrible! #GMB"

In 2022, it was revealed that Tina Turner had lost her court battle against Dorothea ‘Coco’ Fletcher. The Daily Mail revealed that “The court case has lasted for two years and the Federal Court of Justice have finally made its decision by ruling in favour of Fletcher on February 24.”

The Daily Mail also reported that “In the lawsuit, Turner who found too many similarities between her and Fletcher’s ‘lion manes’ demanded a ban on the use of her name and likeness from posters advertising the show in case fans thought she was involved in its production.”