This story is from the 1998 book The Real T: My 22 years with Tina Turner written by an assistant called Eddy Hampton Armani.
Now, I heard not everyone think this book is accurate but I'll post the part about Randy.
It happened around 1983 and Randy was dating a certain Bernadette Swann.
'I've been dating Michael Jackson's brother Randy.
Tina cut her off by saying, 'Bernadette, why do you keep messing with Randy Jackson? And why didn't you phone me and tell me all this stuff before ?'
I haven't called you because Randy is insanely jealous. I mean crazy.
Because you and me are so close, he kept accusing me of having an affair with you and said he'd kill me if he found out I saw or spoke to you. I told him you and me are like family and that his accusations were totally untrue. I dunno, he just has thing in his head'.
Bernadette sipped some water and continued,
'As long as he was still living with his girlfriend things were fine, but as soon as his girlfriend left him and moved out, Randy became more possessive than ever. Once we started being together on a full-time basis, I saw the other side of him. He started grabbing me by the arm and shaking me.
He never beat me, but I sensed it might happen soon and he really scared me. Anyway, we got into a big argument today and he went all wild-eyed. He walked towards me, looking like he was going to kill me. I got shit scared and ran for my life. And... uhm... here I am.'
Bernadette's eyes were now red from crying, and she asked Tina if she could use the phone.
Tina replied, 'Don't call him! Don't! You poor girl. All I see is me. This is the way I used to be. Why do you want the phone, to ring Randy?''
''Nooo. I won't call him.'' She fidgeted for a moment and asked,'' Tina,can I go to the kitchen and get something to eat?''
'' Sure, Bernadette, you know where everything is. Make yourself at home.''
As soon as Bernadette stepped out of the room, Tina whispered to Lejeune and me, ''She's not getting anything from the kitchen, she's going to phone Randy. Mark my words. I know... I know because I used to do the same thing with Ike.''
''Just watch the phone, you'll see. The light will go on.'' We all stared at the phone and five seconds later, the button illuminated. Tina slapped her thigh, exclaiming ''What did I tell you? I knew she'd phone him. I knew it. Poor girl, I used to do the same thing with Ike.''
When the light went off, we scampered back to what we were doing so Bernadette wouldn't know we were any the wiser. She walked into the bedroom and everyone started talking, with Tina proudly telling Lejeune and Bernadette about Craig's Naval graduation ceremony the day before. Bernadette, who was still very fond of Craig, held on to Tina's every word of the event.
Finally, a little shamedfaced, Bernadette looked down at her slim fingers and admitted, ''I.. I phoned Randy when I went to the kitchen.''
None of us said a word and her eyes darted at each one of us before she continued, ''Randy's got a lot of emotional problems. His family is crumbling fast. They're all at each others throats since Michael split from the family.
And there's some things about Randy that are weird. He's uhm, a little sick.. sexually'' I fled out of the bathroom with a towel under some dripping strands of hair and Lejeune froze mid-braid while Tina's eyes widened.
Bernadette had our undivided attention as she told us of her sex life with Randy. When she told us what he made her do, sexually, we all paled. I actually had to sit down for a moment because the details made me feel ill. I could practically see Tina's skin crawling. Her voice hoarse with distress, she said to Bernadette, ''Why? Girl, why do you do it?'' Tina took a few moments to recompose herself but she still sounded a little shocked as she added, ''Bernadette, you have to get rid of that man. You've just got to''
We were all snapped out of our state of shock by the ringing of the
phone.
I answered the call to find Randy Jackson on the line and Tina flipped. ''Damn it, Bernadette,why did you give that sick bastard my phone number?'' Bernadette ran to the kitchen to take the call in privacy while Tina twitched with anger and nerves.
Suddenly we could hear Bernadette screaming, ''Randy, I'm not coming back. You lied and lied and lied to me...'' Tina, Lejeune and I tiptoed towards the kitchen, hididng around a corner so we could eavesdrop on every word. Bernadette ranted on then slammed the phone down, leaving us scampering back to the bedroom to retake our positions as if we had been there all along
Bernadette returned to the bedroom shaking, her face twitching with fear. Her voice shaking, she said, ''I can't go back to him. He knows my every movement, he follows and stalks me. I mean, I can come out of a food store or the gym and he'll be there, hiding behind something just watching. '
She rubbed the goosebumps on her arms and said 'He phones around and checks up on me to see if I'm where I said I was going...and he picks and choose who I'm allowed to see...'
The phone rang again and Tina grabbed it, calmly but firmly stating ''Do not phone my house again. She does not want to speak to you tonight and I'm sure you two can sort things out tomorrow. Meantime you are not welcome to phone my home.''
She slammed the receiver down. An hour and half passed. Suddenly the doorbell rang.
We all glanced at each other, I pressed the buzzer, asking who was there. The uninvited visitor replied, 'This is Randy Jackson. Is Bernadette there? I replied, 'She's left.' Randy frantically replied 'I know she's there. I know she is! I've got to see her. I've got to come in.
' She pounced on the intercom button and barked, ''You ring my buzzer one more time and I call the police. You are to leave my property immediately.'' Tina slowly paced her bedroom with her arms folded across her chest. I knew she was silently chanting to herself to calm her anger.
She let out a few deep breaths and paused in front of the vast sliding glass doors, the light from her bedroom casting her shadow onto the garden of her dream home. She paused for a moment, enjoying the stunning moonlit view of the tree- filled terracotta pot garden in bloom.
Tina glared disapprovingly at Bernadette, chastising her with her angry eyes as she repositioned herself in front of her large make-up mirror. She was fed up with Bernadette and made no effort to hide her disappointment while making her feelings clear to the girl who was once her son's fiancée.
To make her point, Tina lifted her index finger and wagged it furiously her trademark red nails glistening as she spoke.
'' Bernadette, I don't know why you keep messing with these guys. And after all the things you've seen and all the things I've told you.'' As soon as we saw Tina wag her finger, we knew she meant business and knew to stay silent. Bernadette quietly wept and mopped the tears from the corners of her eyes while Tina delivered a stern lecture.
''So why did you bother with him in the first place? Because he's Michael Jackson's brother? That doesn't mean anything. That Randy Jackson's no good! He's like any other man getting their kicks scaring their women. And you put up with him running his mouth all over town saying you and me are lesbian lovers. Who does he think he is?
Tina's hand reached for a glass of white wine. She took a large sip and pursed her angry lips. ''And you gave him my phone number and address. How dare he keep pressing my intercom. If he presses that intercom one more time, I'll call the police. He'd better get off my property.''
(...) Alone, I listened to Tina as she continued delivering the motherly lecture to Bernadette, nodding my head in agreement. 'Bernadette, let me tell you something, you've got yourself an Ike Turner, You better get rid of him. I know you're scared Aaagh.' Tina was furious, and she threw her hands up in disgust. ''I know what it's like, Bernadette, It's best for you if you stay here tonight. Just make sure you get rid of that Randy Jackson first thing tomorrow.''
But no sooner had Tina spoken, than the noisy shuffling of footsteps could be heard outside. I paused and watched her from accross the bedroom. The worry on her face was unmistakable. Bernadette had already scared the daylights out of us with horrifying stories of Randy's violence. Lejeune and Tina remained still and silent as the intrusive sounds outside continued. There was a momentary eeriness, and then, without warning, one of Tina's huge, treasured terracotta pots burst through the glass doors, exploding on impact.
Shards of razor-sharp glass sprayed like darts throughout the bedroom. There was soil and terra cotta everywhere. Everything else that followed seemed to happen so quickly.
Randy Jackson leapt through the broken window and paused for a moment breathing and sweating heavily. Then, as he moved, glass fragments on Tina's plush cream carpet could be heard crunching beneath his hard determined steps. He seemed possessed, and his wild eyes rapidly scanned the bedroom. It only took a split second to focus on what he had come for. Like an animal stalking prey, he walked towards Bernadette muttering like a crazy man about how much he loved and needed her.
In all the years I had spent with Tina, she had drilled me over and over on certain safety procedures should an intruder gain entry into her home. We always thought if it happened, it would be her ex-husband Ike. On this particular day, we were wrong. Worse still, everyone froze in shock, forgetting Tina's meticulous safety drill.
The only one to spring to action was Tina herself.
She calmly and purposefully walked into the bedroom, where her eyes immediately darted to the framed pictures on her bedside table where she hid her loaded handgun. Without looking away from the table, her hand whipped out with shocking speed and grabbed a second gun-a shotgun- from behind the freestanding oval antique mirror just next to her.
She cocked the weapon, then turned and aimed the loaded barrel at Randy Jackson's head. Her body stiff and her aim steady, she said with true determination 'Freeze or I'll blow your brains out.'
Randy did stop, but only for a split second. Locking eyes with Tina, he ignored her warning, and lunged for Bernadette.
Tina, still several feet away from Randy, raised the gun a blew a hole in the ceiling. Randy, his face a mask of brutality, charged straight at Tina like a raging bull.
Still in total control, Tina moved the barrel slighlty to the side and fired towards the doorway. She pointed the gun at Randy.
Randy, suddenly terrified, leapt through the broken windows, fleeing for his life.
There was a silence as we all stood, shocked by the scene we had just witnessed. Then Bernadette snapped out of her trance and raced in hot pursuit of her lover.
Tina, Lejeune and I stood in stark amazement listening to the voices in the distance. Bernadette's voice was breathless and tearful as she professed her love and loyalty to Randy. Only then did Tina's body start shaking, and although in shock, she had the presence of mind to press the panic button beside her bed. Like a robot, I handed Tina a white towel which she numbly wrapped her half-finished head of hair. Lejeune, whom I had rarely seen touch any form of alcohol over the many years I had known her uncharacteristically swigged straight from the bottle of wine.
Over the next few minutes none of our eyes met. We couldn't believe what had just happened. Like zombies, we stepped over the debris of the elegant bedroom which now looked as if a bomb had hit it.
Barely able to breathe, we all sat on the bed, completely stunned. It wasn't until we heard the police sirens in the distance that we snapped back to reality. Tina, still slightly dazed, nervously ran her sweating palms down her thighs, smoothing the fabric of her designer knit sweat suit. She glanced at herself in the mirror and took several deep breaths, calming herself. Then she held her head high and adjusted the towel tightly wrapped over her hair in readiness to deal with uniformed officers.
After the police took their report and asked Tina if she would press charges, they left us to get on with the task of clearing away debris not to mention the fact that we still had a long way to go in finishing Tina's hair.
Randy phoned to apologise to Tina but she said, ''I have nothing to say to you. Don't ever use my number again. I have given the police all the details they need to contact you.'' Then she put the phone down.
Bernadette phoned too, and apologized over and over, begging Tina not to press charges on Randy. While an emergency service busied themselves boarding up and temporarily making safe the door area of Tina's bedroom, Tina coldly told Bernadette on the phone, ''Bernadette, I can no longer have you around me.
(...)
The following day, a man arrived with an envelope with several thousand dollars sent from Randy Jackson to cover expenses due to the damage caused by his breaking and entering. Tina refused the cash, firmly saying, 'I don't do things this way '.
Tina, after discussing things with Roger, decided not to press charges. Roger very rightly felt that Tina's reputation would be damaged and people might think she was like Ike Turner. By not pressing charges, it did not make the newspapers and the incident became a matter of police record.
