Tina Turner becomes a Swiss citizen

Geneva - Tina Turner, the US-born singer famed for hits such as Private Dancer and What's Love Got to Do With It, has become a Swiss citizen, the Swiss newspaper Blick reported.

The 73-year-old retired entertainer, who has lived in Switzerland for nearly two decades, received her red Swiss passport with its distinctive white cross on it on Monday, the publication said.

Swiss media reported in January that Turner was to hand in her US passport when she got her Swiss one. She was quoted as saying that "I cannot imagine a better place to live" than in the European Alpine state, where privacy laws are strictly enforced.

Turner, who was born Anna Mae Bullock, lives in the picturesque town of Kuesnacht, on the shores of Lake Zurich in northern Switzerland. She had to learn German, pass a local civics test and interview to get her new citizenship.

She moved to Switzerland in 1995 when her longtime partner, German record executive Erwin Bach, was transferred here. The couple is expected to marry in a few months' time, Blick reported.