Musician and producer Ike Turner, of the powerful rock and soul duo Ike and Tina Turner, has died at age 76.

Ike Turner, shown performing in July 2002 at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, tried a solo career after splitting from his then wife Tina Turner. He died Wednesday at age 76.
(Fabrice Coffrini/Associated Press)

Turner died at his suburban San Diego home on Wednesday, according to a statement from his manager Scott M. Hanover.

Cause of death has not been released.

Ike Turner provided the explosive guitar with Tina Turner's distinctive raspy vocals for hits such as River Deep: Mountain High, I Want To Take You Higher, Proud Mary and Nutbush City Limits.

Tina Turner left her husband in 1976 after a violent altercation that she said had been common in their marriage.

That end to one of the most successful acts in 1960s and 1970s rock overshadowed Turner's reputation as one of the architects of rock 'n 'roll.

Ike Turner released two failed solo albums before facing drug and weapons charges, losing much of his money to gambling and serving a period in prison.

After his release in 1993, Turner began recording and touring again. In 2001, he released the Grammy-nominated Here & Now album.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in 1991.

Turner was born in Clarksdale, Miss., on Nov. 5, 1931, and grew up admiring boogie-woogie and blues artists such as Howlin' Wolf and Muddie Waters.

He formed a group called The Kings of Rhythm in 1951, whose recording Rocket 88 is sometimes credited as the beginnings of rock 'n' roll.

Turner himself called it "the first rock 'n' roll song" pointing out his own distorted guitar work.

Turner wrote songs and played piano and the group developed a following in St. Louis.

Known for his hard-hitting guitar style, Turner became a side act for blues performers such as Otis Rush and scouted new acts for Sun Records.

Ike and Tina Turner in undated file photo were one of the most successful rock and soul duos of the '60s and the '70s.
(Associated Press)

But Turner's music career took off after he met a teenage singer from Nutbush, Tenn., named Anna Mae Bullock.

He was so struck by her vocal style he changed her name to Tina and the two struck out together, scoring their first pop hit in 1960 with A Fool in Love.

Turner added a trio of sexy background singers and dancers to their act and later created his own record label, Los Angeles-based Bolic Sounds.

'That movie is nowhere close to me'

He began using drugs and Ike and Tina accused one another of infidelity throughout their tumultuous relationship.

He was hauntingly portrayed by Laurence Fishburne in the movie What's Love Got To Do With It, based on Tina Turner's autobiography.

In a 2002 interview with Celebrity Café, Turner said he'd been unfairly portrayed.

"That movie is nowhere close to me, because there's two things you can't justify to me. You can't justify an adult selling a kid drugs, and you can't justify a man raping a woman," he said.

He said he suffered from cocaine addiction in those years, but beat that after serving time in jail.

"I'm really proud of myself and my accomplishments since I've been out of jail. I've come a long way," he said. "I came out of jail with $240, which is what they give you when they release you. And today I'm fine."

In 2001, he published an autobiography, Takin' Back My Name.

Turner toured around the globe with his band the Kings of Rhythm and drew critical acclaim for his work including writing Shoop for Salt 'N Pepa.

He won a Grammy in 2007 in the traditional blues album category for Risin' With the Blues.

Turner married at least four times  and is survived by four known children: sons Ike Jr., Michael and Ronald and daughter Mia.

With files from the Associated Press