Brownsville, Tennessee thought it was giving Tina Turner the hometown love she deserves. Instead, it gave the internet its latest meme.
Over the weekend, a 10-foot bronze statue of the Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll was unveiled in Heritage Park near her old high school. Sculptor Fred Ajanogha designed the monument to capture Turner mid-performance — mic in hand, legs striding, hair wild. Ford Motor Company even chipped in $150,000 to make it happen.
But when the cover came off, fans weren’t exactly rolling on the river. Social media immediately lit up, with reactions ranging from confused to downright savage.
“Is Tina Turner in the room with us??” one user joked. Another said the likeness looked like “Ronald McDonald with a shaggy wig.” Others wondered if Ford had been scammed, while one blunt comment summed it up: “Words fail. Great art does that… so does an abomination like this.”
It’s not the first time a celebrity statue has gone viral for all the wrong reasons. Remember Cristiano Ronaldo’s infamous bust? Or “Scary Lucy,” the Lucille Ball statue that terrified a New York town until it was replaced?
Fans had hoped Brownsville would do better for Turner, who died in 2023 at age 83 after a trailblazing career that redefined resilience, survival, and pure star power. Instead, they got a bronze tribute that many say captures none of her magic.
For now, the statue stands tall in Turner’s hometown, but the internet’s verdict is clear: Tina deserved better than being compared to a fast-food mascot.
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Perpetual whiners.
So calm down… it’s just a statue… and an honor…
She would appreciate prayers.
It’s the “hair” that makes Tina look like Ronald McDonald! Everything else the sculptor captured well! Instead of a solid mass of hair, the sculptor should have less puffed hair on the head with some tendrils flying loose in the air — because when Tina sang, her hair was flying everywhere, not in a tidy coiffure! But the stance of legs and arms was pure Tina Turner!!
Sorry, but the hair is what destroyed Tina’s whole look and made her look like ole Ronald McDonald! Shame.