Tina Turner is one of our time’s most recognized and celebrated music artists, and we are sure that her five-decades-long, highly successful career will be remembered for years to come as well. Though she has a prodigious musical career, she has also had to battle a lot of hardships and difficulties in her life, and the path to happiness has not been easy.
Today, however, she has found a peaceful pairing with her current husband, Erwin Bach, with whom she lives in Switzerland. The pair had been together for over two decades before they tied the knot in 2013 when Turner was 73 and Bach was 57. Their age difference has done nothing to deter them from having a blissful relationship. Together, they have faced the joys and grief of life hand in hand and seem very much in love today as well.
While Turner is a celebrity in her own right, Bach is also a highly successful man. The two of them first met in 1985 at the airport, which Turner describes as a “simple meeting” according to Closer Weekly.
They did not begin dating right away and were in a platonic relationship for more than a year. Turner was especially hesitant to give love another chance after everything she had been through, but she said that she was glad she “listened to her heart” and gave Bach a chance. They got together in 1986 and have been together ever since. It goes to show that you are never too old to find the right person to spend your life with!
Tina was born on Nov. 26, 1939, in Brownsville, Tennessee. She grew up as the youngest daughter in her family with two older sisters, Evelyn Juanita Currie and Ruby Alline Bullock – the latter was a songwriter. Tina grew up in a tumultuous household but was fortunate enough to find a love for music at an early age. However, she was not able to pursue it until around the time she was graduating from high school in the late 1950s.
During her childhood, Tina moved around quite a bit from home to home. She lived with her grandparents for some time before moving yet again. After her parents divorced and her father moved to a different state, Tina moved again. Sadly, the hopeful singer didn’t have much stability growing up, and it seems like some of this stayed with her in later years when she entered her relationship with her first husband. Although the relationship didn’t work for many serious reasons, the music they produced together was magical.
Once Tina teamed up with her first husband, Ike Turner, it was evident that she was going to go far in the music industry. The pair released several hits during their time together, including “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine,” “River Deep – Mountain High,” “Proud Mary” and “Nutbush City Limits.”
And even though Ike and Tina didn’t work out, Tina still proved that she had what it takes to be a longtime star. She had an outstanding comeback during the 1980s with yet even more hits and chart-topping songs.
On top of that, Tina also proved that her talents went well beyond music, as the star acted in a handful of films, including “Tommy,” “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome” and “Last Action Hero.” She also released the biopic “What’s Love Got to Do With,” adapted from the content of her autobiography “I, Tina: My Life Story.” Her life was also used as the inspiration for the jukebox musical “Tina” in 2018.
It’s not surprising that Tina is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time, having received a long list of awards and accolades over her impressive career. She has received several Grammy Awards, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She also was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice – once as a duet partner with Ike in 1991 and again in 2021 as a solo artist.
The latter was a monumental occasion, celebrated by plenty of greats as well as some up-and-comers in the music industry. Country music artist Keith Urban and R&B singer H.E.R. teamed up for a performance of “It’s Only Love,” while rising country music star Mickey Guyton performed “What’s Love Got to Do with It.” Vocal powerhouse and overall legend Christina Aguilera performed one of Tina’s most well known songs, “River Deep – Mountain High.”
Tina has continued to be honored by many of her peers and recognized as a true legend by fans and critics alike. But while Tina has certainly conquered the entertainment industry, she struggled a bit to find a love that was long-lasting, until she met her second husband, Bach.
When they first met, Tina certainly paid attention to Bach despite having been on a plane for hours. As per Closer Weekly, she wrote in her new book that she “instantly felt an emotional connection” when he greeted her at an airport in Germany. She also added, “I should have been too tired from my flight, too preoccupied with thoughts of my concert tour and in too much of a hurry to get to my hotel to pay much attention to the young music executive who came from my record company to welcome me. But I did notice him.”
Bach is a German music producer and executive who has made a successful dent in the music industry throughout his career and is reportedly worth $50 million today. Moreover, he has also had a few small acting roles in his career.
Even though she felt the connection to Bach, she was hesitant to chase after love after her difficult romantic experience with her previous husband Ike, with whom she had shared an extremely successful career in the 1960s and 1970s.
The Ike and Tina act was the hottest R&B ensemble at the time, but while the couple had enjoyed great success with their music, their relationship took a dark turn at home, as Ike abused his wife physically. Tina became trapped.
“It was a thoroughly unhappy situation I was in, but I was too far gone. I was trapped into really caring about Ike,” Tina explained. “If I left him, what was he going to do? Go back to St. Louis? I didn’t want to let him down. As horrible as he treated me, I still felt responsible for letting him down. That was a mental problem I had at the time. And I was afraid to leave.”
Then in 1976, after 16 years in an abusive marriage, taking no money with her and having no plan, Tina finally found the courage to leave. Struggling at first, the singer eventually found a home for herself and was reunited with all four of her children. She used food stamps and got help from her family to keep food on the table. Their divorce was long, hard, public and messy, but after it was all over, Tina was able to stand on her own two feet again and began a solo career. This was not an easy task, however, as her subsequent musical releases were met with a lukewarm reception until the early 1980s.
When she released her cover for Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” which made the singer make a comeback on the International charts and even reaching No. 6 in the UK, she began to find the success that she deserved for her voice. One year later, she reached No.1 on the Billboard 100 with her timeless hit, “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” and with it turned a new chapter in her career.
After having gone through so much hardship following her painful and messy divorce, Tina was finally finding her voice and stardom. It would be natural to want to stay away from a romantic relationship after such a traumatic experience, but taking a chance with Bach ended up being the best thing for her. “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,” she shared.
“That simple first meeting led to a long, beautiful relationship — and my one true marriage.”
Tina and Bach did not welcome any children together, but Tina has four children of her own, Ronnie Turner, Ike Turner Jr., Michael Turner, and late son Craig Turner. She shared Craig with her former boyfriend Raymond Hill and shares Ronnie Turner with Ike. She also adopted Ike’s children from his previous marriage, Ike Jr and Michael.
Speaking about marriage on the Oprah show in 2006, Tina said on television she had no plans of marrying at the time. “People often ask me why don’t I marry,” she said according to The Daily Mail. “I have love. I have a good life. I don’t need to interfere with that. For some people, marriage means “You’re mine now.” That can be the beginning of the failure of a relationship.”
She also added, “Neither Erwin nor I feel the need to get married. We’ve been together for 18 years. What would marriage give me that I don’t already have? Marriage would be about pleasing the public. Why do I need to please the public if I’m already pleased?”
While this is certainly an understandable sentiment, it was clear that both Bach and Tina were finally ready to tie the knot in 2013 in a beautiful ceremony by Lake Zurich. After this, they also had a Buddhist ceremony at their home in Zurich. The event was attended by celebrities like David Bowie, Oprah Winfrey, and Sade among others. Daily Mail reported that as per the Swiss weekly newspaper Schweiz am Sonntag, Tina asked all her guests to wear white to the ceremony and that Tina wore a beautiful gown designed by the famed Giorgio Armani.
The pair also reportedly sent out notices to their neighbors apologizing in advance for any noise they may cause. What a considerate thing to do! Despite all the joy and jubilation that surrounded the wedding, Tina faced many difficulties soon after.
Three weeks following their wedding, she suffered a stroke, which forced her to learn to walk again.
“In the hospital, I didn’t believe that I couldn’t walk,” the singer recounted to Oprah in 2018. “Then I stepped out of bed and flopped to the floor and said, ‘Oh my God, what have I done?’ But I wasn’t depressed — I was just determined to fix it.”
Then, as Tina was still undergoing rigorous physiotherapy and retraining herself to walk, came another tragedy. In 2016, she was diagnosed with intestinal cancer, with doctors telling her both her kidneys were failing. Distressing as the news might have been, Tina told Oprah she was at peace with her fate and felt she had lived a long enough life.
She was not keen on going on “being on a machine” for the rest of her years, but her husband was not having any of it. “Erwin chimed in, very emotional, and said, ‘I don’t want another partner,’” Tina shared. “He was 150% ready to give me his kidney.” This is such a beautiful sentiment and shows the true power of the love shared between Tina and Bach. Tina underwent a successful transplant in 2017 and continues to live a very happy life with her husband in Zurich.
“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,” she wrote in her memoir as per Closer Weekly. “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.”
She remains grateful for her life, which has been beautiful despite being punctuated with bouts of tragedy and difficulty.
“My life over the past 10 years has been my ideal version of happiness,” Tina said in an interview with the Guardian in December 2020. “That may come as a surprise to some, since I had serious health challenges. But real joy doesn’t mean having a problem-free life. True and lasting happiness comes from having an unshakeable, hopeful spirit that can shine, no matter what. That’s what I’ve achieved, and it is my greatest wish to help others become truly happy as well.”
Tina helped others achieve that goal with her book “Happiness Becomes You: A Guide to Changing Your Life for Good,” which came out on Oct. 27, 2020. In the book, the 82-year-old icon spoke to her belief in Buddhism, her spirituality, and the many obstacles she has overcome.
Bach and Tina continue to have a strong relationship and are a beacon of hope and inspiration to everyone out there who wants to find love but thinks it is too late. Moreover, too many people are judgmental about large age gaps in a relationship, but this couple has proven that age is but a number in a committed and loving relationship.
What do you think of this beautiful love story? Tell us your thoughts, and be sure to let your friends and family know about the power of love through this story!
