At the moment, the world is mourning the loss of the legendary singer Tina Turner. The music superstar died after battling a long illness at her home near Zurich, Switzerland. At the time of her passing, she was 83 years old.
Tina Turner was a famed musician best known for her hit tracks like What’s Love Got To Do With It, Better Be Good To Me, The Best, Private Dancer, Addicted With Love and I Don’t Wanna Lose You.
On the other hand, when we talk about the personal life of the Grammy winner, she was married to her husband Erwin Bach until her death on May 24, 2023, Wednesday. Read on to delve deep into the love life of Tina Turner.
Tina Turner was married twice
The Swiss singer walked down the aisle a total of two times. At first, she tied the knot with Ike Turner in the year 1962. The former couple who created the musical duo Ike & Tina Turner Revue got divorced in 1978.
Soon after, the International superstar and singer moved on in her life with Erwin Bach. The two of them dated for a total of 27 years and were married for around 10 years. They got hitched in 2013.
Meet Tina Turner’s husband Erwin Bach
Tina’s romance with Erwin Bach was one of the ever-lasting relationships in the history of rock music. The Proud Mary singer and the former music executive met each other for the first time, nearly a decade after she left her abusive first husband and music partner Ike Turner.
The pair kept their romance away from the spotlight however, they openly talked about their love story in the 2021 HBO documentary Tina. Turner found her soulmate in Erwin Bach.
What does Erwin Bach do for a living?
Erwin was born in Germany. At the moment, he is 67 years old. Back in the day, he was an executive with the European record label EMI, which worked with acts such as Queen, Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, and Radiohead.
Bach worked with the record label to distribute the music overseas. In the year 2012, the label broke into smaller companies. Until its dissolution, EMI was one of the biggest record labels in the world.
How did Tina Turner and Erwin Bach meet?
The What’s Love Got To Do With It singer and the former music executive crossed paths for the first time at an airport and it was love at first sight. They met in the year 1985 at the airport in Düsseldorf, Germany.
At that point in time, Erwin was sent by the record label EMI to greet the singer as she arrived. In the 2021 HBO documentary Tina, the duo revealed they had an instant connection from the moment their eyes met.
In the doc, Erwin recalled, “Her manager Roger [Davies] asked me to pick up Tina.” Turner added, “So Roger said to me, ‘Tina, you ride with Erwin,’ and I wanted to go, ‘Yay!’ He was really so good-looking. My heart [was beating fast] and it means that a soul has met, and my hands were shaking.”
Tina and Bach started dating that same year. In her book, Happiness Becomes You: A Guide to Changing Your Life for Good, Turner wrote, “Falling in love with my husband, Erwin, was another exercise in leaving my comfort zone, of being open to the unexpected gifts that life has to offer.”
The Best crooner further added, “The day I first met Erwin, at an airport in Germany, I should have been too tired from my flight, too preoccupied with thoughts of my concert tour. But I did notice him, and I instantly felt an emotional connection. Even then, I could have ignored what I felt — I could have listened to the ghost voices in my head telling me that I didn’t look good that day, or that I shouldn’t be thinking about romance because it never ends well. Instead, I listened to my heart. ”
The music legend continued, “I left my comfort zone and made it a priority to get to know Erwin. That simple first meeting led to a long, beautiful relationship — and my one true marriage.”
Erwin Bach is 16 years junior to Tina Turner
Yeah, you read that right. Erwin is over 16 years younger than Turner. When Tina and Erwin first met, he was 30 years old at the time, meanwhile, she was 47 years old. Over the years, they received a lot of hate due to their age gap. Tina spoke about the same in her memoir, My Love Story.
Tina wrote, “Incredibly, considering how long we had been together, there were still people who wanted to believe that Erwin married me for my money and fame. What else would a younger man want with an older woman? Erwin always ignored the rumors.”
When did Tina Turner and Erwin Bach get married?
Tina and Erwin said ‘I Do’ in the year 2013. The two lovebirds exchanged their vows in a civil ceremony in Switzerland. Then, Tina was 73 years old. A couple of days after getting married, the pair threw a lavish, star-studded party at their lakeside Switzerland estate.
The extravagant party was attended by many A-listers like David Bowie, Oprah Winfrey, and Giorgio Armani. For the grand party, the pair’s home was decorated with 70,000 red and yellow roses from Holland. The men were asked to show up at the party in black ties, meanwhile, the women wore dresses of white and beige color.
In the year 2000, the pair who had been together nearly 3 decades, downplayed the chatter about the wedding. At that time, the pair stated that they were content with their leisurely European lifestyle.
Then, Tina said, “We are married — we just haven’t walked down the aisle, and until there’s a need to, we probably won’t.” Erwin echoed the same sentiments and further added, “We don’t need a marriage to be together. Some people need that security thing, but I think if you’re internally happy with your partner, you don’t need symbols.”
In her book, Happiness Becomes You: A Guide to Changing Your Life for Good, Tina talked about her marriage to Erwin and wrote, “We grant each other freedom and space to be individuals at the same time we are a couple.”
She further added, “Erwin, who is a force of nature in his own right, has never been the least bit intimidated by my career, my talents, or my fame. He shows me that true love doesn’t require the dimming of my light so that he can shine. On the contrary, we are the light of each other’s lives, and we want to shine as bright as we can, together.”
Erwin Bach confessed that it’s hard for him to hear Tina talk about her abusive marriage to Ike Turner
During a 2013 interview with Oprah, Bach admitted that he hasn’t read his wife’s bestselling memoir, I, Tina: My Life Story because of it. He told the media mogul, “I didn’t read the book.”
Bach went on to say, “It’s hard to hear and read the past of the person you love when this comes up. So I always think that Tina one day will erase this, reset this. [I] think it’s time to close the book and close the chapter… because everything is said.”
Erwin Bach donated a kidney to his ladylove Tina when hers started failing
Erwin Bach stood by Tina’s side through thick and thin. In her 2018 memoir My Love Story, the I Don’t Wanna Lose You singer spoke about her husband Erwin’s generous offer. She mentioned that she had spent years dealing with life-threatening illnesses.
Just 3 weeks after her wedding to Bach, Turner suffered a stroke and in the year 2016, she was diagnosed with intestinal cancer. She had to deal with the side effects of the treatment and she tried to get better with the help of homeopathic remedies, but that made her condition worse. Soon after, she met with total kidney failure.
Tina wrote, “The consequences of my ignorance ended up being a matter of life and death. At this terrible moment of guilt and self-recrimination, I learned something wonderful about Erwin. He never reproached me for my mistake. Instead, he was loyal, kind and understanding — and determined to help me get through all this alive.”
Bach donated one of his kidneys to his wife Tina. Her operation took place in April 2017 and was largely a success though Turner experienced a few mild symptoms.
Later on, in her book, Happiness Becomes You: A Guide to Changing Your Life for Good, she wrote, “I’m happy to say that, thanks to my beloved husband, Erwin, giving me one of his kidneys, the gift of life, I’m in good health and loving life every day.”
The It’s Gonna Work Out Fine singer further added, “I’m also thankful that I’ve not only survived, but thrived, so that I can pass on to you this book containing precious gifts that were given to me — the greatest gifts I can offer.”
Tina Turner and Erwin Bach lived together in Switzerland
According to a 2019 profile for the New York Times, the pair moved to Switzerland in the year 1995. In 2013, she relinquished her American citizenship. Tina retired from music in 2009.
Turner talked about her retirement and said, “I was just tired of singing and making everybody happy. That’s all I’d ever done in my life. I don’t sing. I don’t dance. I don’t dress up.”
In October 2021, Turner sold her music rights. In addition to this, she also sold the rights to her image, name and likeness, to the publishing company BMG. As per various reports, the transaction was worth around $50 million.
In a press release, Tina said, “Like any artist, the protection of my life’s work, my musical inheritance, is something personal. I am confident that with BMG and Warner Music my work is in professional and reliable hands.”
Tina Turner was previously married to Ike Turner
Before sparking a romance with Erwin Bach, Tina Turner was in a relationship with Ike Turner. He was Tina’s first husband. Ike and Tina were music collaborators in the 80s. The two of them rose to prominence together after Tina joined Ike’s band, the Kings of Rhythm. Then, she was only 16 years old and a high school student.
Ike Turner who was born on November 5, 1931, in Clarksdale, Mississippi, was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. He was known for his work in the 1960s and 1970s.
The two of them were married for 16 years from 1962 to 1978. During their personal and professional relationship, they worked on many hit songs like Nutbush City Limits, River Deep – Mountain High, A Fool in Love, and more.
Tina left Ike in the year 1976 and filed for divorce from the musician. At that time, she stated the usual “irreconcilable differences” as the reason behind their split. Their divorce got finalized in 1978.
Then, she got ownership of the songs she wrote during her time with Ike, meanwhile, he retained ownership of his pieces. The exes welcomed a son together in 1960. They named their son Ronnie and then, Turner also adopted his two sons from a past relationship. Their son Ronnie passed away last year. He died of complications from colon cancer in December 2022.
After her split from Ike, Tina accused him of being abusive, cheating, and physically hitting her. In her memoir I, Tina, she shared all of her experiences. She also shed some light on her relationship with Ike.
In her memoir, Turner wrote, “It was my relationship with Ike that made me most unhappy. At first, I had really been in love with him. Look what he’d done for me. But he was totally unpredictable.”
Ike died in the year 2007 due to a cocaine overdose. It has been reported that he was found dead in December 2007 at his home in San Marcos near San Diego. At the time of his death, he was 76 years old.
Our love and prayers go out to Erwin Bach, the husband of the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll Tina Turner during this tragic time. May her soul rest in peace. Don’t forget to stay tuned with us for the latest updates from the world of showbiz.