I know your post is over a year old, but I have to ask this in case you're still around
Who are you and why did you jump in at the end of this conversation as though you had been participating all along? You have exactly one post in this thread, so why are you trying to be the one to explain the intentions of the original poster?
You're weird.

Thank you for the info. I kept thinking maybe surgery, but she doesn't look like she's had surgery. It just looked like weight gain, but at the same time, something about her face looks like more than weight gain though. So, the explanation of health issues, mixed with long-time smoking, and more recent problems with medications, well, that explains a lot.
And no, none of this has anything to do with her acting. She is and always has been a good, strong actress. I was just trying to figure out the reason for why she looks as she does.
Also, in regard to her voice, yes, some of it is due to the smoking, but she also trained her voice to sound as it does (I remember her explaining how she did it) because if you listen to her in Romancing the Stone, she doesn't sound like this, and she smoked then, too.

A lot of the problem stems from long term use of Prednisone to combat RA. Prednisone is a class of drugs which amongst other things, does a number on the kidney and liver functions. Combined with alcohol abuse, which also impacts the two organs, the system largely loses it's ability to digest food and beverages properly, so as with a lot of people, Ms. Turner's body retains fluids and fat.
Another obvious is that she's still smokes, so besides sounding like a man, her facial tissue, not to mention heart and lungs, have deteriorated terribly. Again, her smoking combined with the effects of the steroid on the heart muscle means that her odds of a long life expectancy is significantly reduced.

Let's see what you looked like 30 years ago and compare it with today and declare, "What the hell happened."
Jerk

I still like her:) She was and it is a great person. I wish I could meet her in real life and talk with her. Has any f you met her? I could find any fan photos with her, not even on
www.99celebrities.com

Well said. I have RA as well.it is horrible pain to live with every day. I was just recently diagnosed after a few years of terrible pain. People can be so rude. I am glad she is in remission.

http://lebeauleblog.com/2011/07/04/what-the-hell-happened-to-kathleen-turner/10/
So what the hell happened?
In her prime, Turner had a reputation for being difficult. The New York Times once referred to her as a certifiable diva. Turner herself admitted that she had developed into not a very kind person. If Turner thought someone was full of beep shed call them out on it. That sort of behavior is admired when a man does it. But its less accepta2000ble in Hollywood when an actress speaks her mind.
Obviously, Turners disease was a major obstacle. Even now, rheumatoid arthritis is a crippling disease. But in the early 90s, the disease was not well-understood. So much so that Turner felt the need to keep her disease a secret in order to avoid losing work. According to Turner, it was better to be thought of as an alcoholic than a sick person.
The disease and her treatments changed her appearance. In addition to everything else the disease took from her, it robbed Turner of her movie star looks. Since no one knew about the disease, people assumed that Turner had merely let herself go. Leading roles in movies disappeared almost immediately.
But in spite of these obstacles, Turner has remained a working actress for nearly four decades. Cinemas loss was the theaters gain. Today, Turner works primarily as a stage actress while occasionally appearing in TV shows and movies. According to Turner, shes getting more work today than she was a decade ago:
Im edging now into that territory where a lot of us have been winnowed out. The competitions getting smaller. Maybe therell be more movies because they can be a lot of fun. And I could still do my stage work too, so its a nice balance. I could never see myself committing to a TV series for years on end, but I like to pop in and do little characters.

She got old, that's what happened to her.

what about her personal rep? That could affect one's career.

My guess is that her alcoholism was a steady slide from the time she was diagnosed with RA. Prior to her taking the stronger biologic drugs..which they really didn't have in the early 90's when she was diagnosed, I'm sure that is when she began to self-medicate. Then taking steroids, with the inevitable weight gain..only made it worse. I don't think that people should be too hard on her. It is a horrible, painful disease. I know because I have it myselfand I did my share of drinking. Anything to dull the pain. My heart goes out to her, and anyone with RA. It sucks!

Sad to hear about her health. I hope she'll be ok.

If you'd bother to read her IMDB bio, you'd know she suffered from severe RA and years of steroid-use to treat the symptoms impacted her looks. I'm sure her alcoholism took its toll as well.

She had a drink problem then lots of other health problemsI know she's done a lot of highly regarded work in the theatre in recent years.

Indeed Turner was gorgeous in her prime. Don't know much about her, some people tend to let go as they age or just don't age very well. Regardless, she's still a terrific actress, albeit not the sex symbol she once was.