Tina Turner tribute act WINS court battle after the star sued her for being too similar

Simply the best…legal defence! Tina Turner tribute act WINS court battle after the star sued her for being so similar fans could confuse her for the real singer

  • Tina Turner, 81, has lost a court battle with a tribute act based in Germany  
  • Dorothea ‘Coco’ Fletcher, aged in her 30s, performs in show Simply The Best 
  • Turner had sued Fletcher for looking too much like her in promotional posters 
  • Turner said Fletcher looks so much like her that fans may mistakenly think she is involved in the production 
  • The official verdict stated artistic freedom outweighs personality rights


A Tina Turner tribute act has won a huge court case against the star, who was suing her because she looked too alike.   

Tina Turner, 82, sued German company Cofo Entertainment, which produced a show named ‘Simply The Best — The Tina Turner Story’, starring lookalike artist Dorothea ‘Coco’ Fletcher, aged in her 30s.

In her 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.

However, Cofo Entertainment tour organiser Oliver Forster argued that the show has been performed over 100 times across Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and no one has ever complained that they did not get to see the real Tina Turner. 

Coco Fletcher

Tina Turner (left, performing in 1997) lost in a court case against tribute act Coco Fletcher (right) after the star sued her doppelganger for looking too much like her

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.

Although Turner initially won the case at the Cologne Regional Court, she lost on appeal as the court ruled in favour of Fletcher.

The case was then taken to the Federal Court of Justice in the German city of Karlsruhe in 2020.

Turner’s lawyer Kerstin Schmitt slammed the decision to reverse the ruling, and stated that the legendary singer ‘would like to decide for herself if her name and portrait are used for advertising purposes as Turner herself has nothing to do with this show.’

Turner sued over this poster of Fletcher, which she says is so similar in appearance that it risks confusing fans

Turner sued over this poster of Fletcher, which she says is so similar in appearance that it risks confusing fans

While the official verdict stated artistic freedom outweighs personality rights, presiding judge Thomas Koch said the controversial posters did not give out the impression that Turner supported or was by any means involved in the show. 

Mr Forster told German media: ‘I am overjoyed that we were finally able to settle this legal dispute after more than two years.

‘This is of course about making life difficult for an unpleasant competitor like us on the market or, in the best case, achieving that the show is no longer played.’

She said the legal dispute has had a huge advertising effect on the show.

‘We also noticed that in the sales figures. Of course, when the original Tina Turner thinks that the cast member on our show looks so much like her, it still ranks as a special compliment somewhere.’ 

Doppelganger Fletcher said: ‘It can be good for me, it can be bad for me, who knows.’ 

Tina Turner

Coco Fletcher

Turner (left, performing in 1990) said fans may mistakenly think she was involved in the show that Fletcher (right) performs in

Fletcher, who is originally American, has been performing as Turner for years (pictured in 2007) as an unofficial tribute act

Fletcher, who is originally American, has been performing as Turner for years (pictured in 2007) as an unofficial tribute act

Despite mostly performing in Germany, Fletcher is originally from the US and grew up in Alabama.

Initially working as a club singer, she moved to Vegas where she began performing with the likes of The Platters, Bobby Womack and Millie Jackson.

In 1997 she moved to Berlin and began performing in the ‘Stars in Concert’ show, which is dedicated to tribute acts.

Aside from performing as Tina Turner, Fletcher has also sung at shows organised by Austrian composed Udo Jürgens, who passed away in 2014.

She has also made several TV appearances in Germany, including on the popular show Let’s Dance – a German version of Strictly Come Dancing.

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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk