Tina Turner and her ex-husband Ike Turner’s relationship was very public and did not end well. In fact, it made the Queen of Pop quite afraid of marrying again. Despite this, she still found a second chance at love and absolutely nailed it. Her second husband, music executive Erwin Bach loves her so much, in fact, that he donated to her his own kidney in order to save his life.
Tina Turner’s Husband Loves Her So Much, He Gave Her His Kidney
Tina Turner’s first marriage to music star Ike Turner was not a good one. Ike was abusive, both physically and emotionally. Their marriage didn’t last, and fourteen years later Tina finally left him. After her traumatic first marriage, Turner wasn’t so sure about finding love a second time, and certainly not about marriage. When she first saw Erwin, however, she couldn’t help herself. (1)
Tina and Erwin met in 1985 when Erwin, a 30-year-old German music executive, was assigned to pick Tina up at the airport in Germany. By that time Tina was 47 and already a world-renowned superstar. She describes how she felt about Erwin as “love at first sight”.
“He had the prettiest face. You could not miss it. It was like saying, ‘Where did he come from?’ He was really that good looking. My heart went bu-bum. It means that a soul has met. My hands were shaking.” she recalled in a documentary. “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. I left my comfort zone and made it a priority to get to know Erwin.” (2)
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Erwin’s Point-of-View
Erwin says that for him, the connection wasn’t quite so instant as it was for Tina. He was in work mode and so wasn’t thinking about love or finding the future love of his life. He was simply fulfilling the task of picking up the megastar from the airport ahead of her concert. For this reason, he didn’t feel nervous and was quite relaxed. The pair got along very well.
When he heard that Turner was interested in him, Erwin decided to visit her in Nashville. After that, he continued to visit her wherever she happened to be when he was able. Tina described him as being “so different” from her ex. He was laid-back, unpretentious, and comfortable. Their love continued to grow, and now they have been together for more than three decades.
“It’s love. It’s something we both have for each other. I always refer to it as an electrical charge. I still have it. Even though when I left her two hours ago, I still have that feeling. It’s in my heart. I feel very warm about this.” said Erwin.
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Erwin Never Gave Up On Her
In 1989, for Tina’s 50th birthday, Erwin proposed. Despite her deep love for him, however, Tina didn’t say yes. She didn’t say no, either, she simply told him she didn’t have an answer. To her, marriage was a scary thing. It meant ownership and harbored many negative feelings and memories from her past. Erwin did not take that as a reason for the pair to not be together, however. They stayed together, with Tina eventually moving to Zurich where the pair still live to this day.
Finally, 27 years after they began dating, Tina finally agreed to marry Erwin. They held their wedding on their lake-side estate in Switzerland with 200 attendees.
Tina Turner’s Health Problems
After retiring from performing in 2009, Tina suffered from various health issues. In December 2016, her doctors diagnosed her with kidney cancer. She had two options: dialysis or a transplant.
“Only the transplant would give me a good chance of a near-normal life. But the chances of getting a donor kidney were remote.” she wrote in her book My Love Story.
That’s when Erwin, the love of her life, stepped in. She said that he told her he didn’t want another woman or another life, he wanted her. Therefore, in order to save her life, he would donate his own kidney. Thankfully, the transplant was successful.
Erwin has since supported Tina through many other highs and lows. These include the death of her son, the debut of her Broadway musical, and her HBO documentary as a final goodbye to her American fans as she bowed out of the public eye. Tina Turner and Erwin Bach are living proof that true, loyal, and honest love really does and can exist.
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Sources
- “LEGEND How long was Tina Turner married to Ike?” The Sun. Patrizia Rizzo. March 26, 2021.
- “Tina Turner Fell in Love With Her Husband Erwin Bach at First Sight.” Oprah Daily. Elena Nicolaou. March 25, 2021.
