'She was absolutely wonderful': Local saxophonist played with Tina Turner on world tour

READING - We know her as the Queen of Rock and Roll, but those who loved her say Tina Turner was "probably one of the nicest people you ever want to meet."

The music icon died Wednesday at the age of 83.

Reading resident Deric Dyer was lucky enough to play with the icon on her biggest world tour.

"It's exactly how the industry works," Deric Dyer said, explaining how a 1987 phone call to a friend landed the Boston saxophonist (Ireland native, English and Bermuda raised) an audition with Turner.

Unfortunately, he almost missed his shot when he was late to the audition. "She's standing there in the middle of the room and she's like giving me dirty looks and she says, 'I told them all to be mad at you because you were late,'" he chuckled. "And I walked over and she gave me a big hug and a kiss and she said 'thank you for coming.'"

That audition launched Dyer's career. He played 96 shows across the world with Turner on her 1987 Break Every Rule World Tour. He discovered not only a lifelong music career from the experience, but lifelong friends, too. "She was absolutely wonderful to me," he said. "I lived in rarefied air."

Local Radio DJ Mistress Carrie explained to WBZ what made Turner such an icon. "There isn't a barrier that Tina Turner didn't break," she said. "She broke the economic barrier, the race barrier, the gender barrier, the age barrier. Tina Turner reinvented her career in her 40s and was a sex symbol."

Plus: her epic performances. "The fact that in the age of no digital recording, no auto tune, there was no way to lip-sync, she was doing those dance moves in heels, and singing those songs and hitting the notes... It's undeniable," Carrie said. "And she was doing it in her 40s and 50s! There are pop stars in their 20s and teens that can't pull that off."

Those glass ceilings shattered by Turner inspired Carrie, and thousands of women worldwide. "Even though I'm not a musician, Tina Turner helped pave the way for me, because she showed the world and all of the men that were in charge of the industry that women could rock," Carrie said.