Who is Tina Turner’s widower Erwin Bach? The late singer lived in Switzerland with her much younger husband, a German Emi music exec who donated a kidney to her and stayed by her side until her death
The world reeled when 1980s pop icon Tina Turner died last week at age 83 after a long struggle with illness.
Although best known for her long and influential musical career, her love life also made headlines – particularly her relationship with her abusive first husband, Ike Turner. A decade after leaving him though, the megastar found love again. This time, it was with someone who wasn’t afraid of her fame and who encouraged her to be the best version of herself. His name? Erwin Bach.
Bach, who is German, met the musician by chance at an airport pickup and until the legendary singer died on May 24, Bach was the man who supported her dreams and gave her the freedom she seemingly desired in a relationship.
Here’s what you need to know about the man who captured the heart of the legendary Tina Turner.
How Tina Turner and Erwin Bach met
It was a chance meeting between the couple that first brought them together. In 1985, Emi sent Bach to meet the singer at an airport in Düsseldorf, Germany. In a 2021 HBO documentary called Tina, the lovebirds both spoke about the instant connection they felt. Turner and Bach started a romantic relationship soon after they met, with Turner commenting that she had made a conscious effort to listen to her heart.
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“I left my comfort zone and made it a priority to get to know Erwin,” she added. It was Turner who pursued Bach, with Bach admitting that although there was a connection, he was working and distracted. According to Oprah Daily, when he heard she was interested, he decided to visit her and Tina boldly proclaimed: “When you come to LA, I want you to make love to me.”
He was an Emi music executive
People magazine reports that Bach worked as an executive at Emi, a label that had collaborated with the likes of Queen, Pink Floyd and Radiohead. During his tenure, he was promoted to managing director of Emi Recorded Music, Switzerland.
Per Harper’s Bazaar, Bach briefly tried his hand at acting and landed a minor role in the 1999 film Maldito Amor: Demasiado Tarde. He also played a role in producing the HBO documentary, Tina.
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The age gap
When the couple met, Bach was 30 and Turner was 47. When news of their relationship first emerged, there was much criticism surrounding their age difference.
In her memoir My Love Story, Turner commented on the furore, saying that even though they had been together for such a long time, people still believed married the megastar for her money. It was one of the few times Turner addressed the gossip, explaining that “Erwin just ignored it”.
The delayed wedding
The couple finally got married after 27 years together. In an interview on Oprah’s Next Chapter, Bach said he had asked the musician to marry him twice. Turner said she didn’t believe his proposal was real and didn’t say no because she “wanted the relationship to continue”.
When she was 73, they got married in a civil ceremony in Switzerland. Oprah Daily reports that 200 friends joined the couple for the celebration held at their estate. Bryan Adams sang “All for Love” as the couple walked down the aisle, cementing their decades-long love affair.
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He donated a kidney to the musician
Just three weeks after getting married, the “Proud Mary” singer suffered a life-threatening stroke. Turner chose to take homeopathic medication and soon went into total kidney failure.
In April 2017, the former music executive donated one of his kidneys to Turner and the surgery was deemed a success for the most part, with Turner only suffering minor complications.
A new life in Switzerland
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Speaking about their relationship in her book, Happiness Becomes You: A Guide to Changing Your Life for Good, Turner said her relationship with Bach was based on freedom. She said he had never been intimidated by her career, fame or talents. “We are the light of each other’s lives, and we want to shine as bright as we can, together,” she said.
- Tina Turner met Erwin Bach at the peak of her success when he picked her up from the airport, working as a music exec for European label Emi that’s behind the likes of Queen, Pink Floyd and Radiohead
- The couple made headlines for their 17-year age gap, their wedding after 27 years together, and when Bach donated his kidney to Turner in 2017, saving her life