Tina Turner, an icon in the music business, died away on May 24, 2023, which was a devastating day for the industry. Tina paved the way for many other performers during her whole career, and as a result, she was finally given the title of “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” In spite of her popularity, the singer had to triumph over a great deal of opposition.
Tina’s first marriage, which she had with her co-star Ike Turner, came to an unhappy end, which was undoubtedly one of the most major setbacks of her life. The decision to part ways with him occurred after years of working on songs together, but Turner acknowledged that things weren’t as perfect as their well-known R&B duo act had made it seem to the public.
Tina and her first husband, Ike, were married for a considerable amount of time despite the fact that their marriage ended on a less than amicable note. They initially met in St. Louis in the 1950s, and their relationship began at that time. Ike was blown away by Tina’s singing ability when she sang for the first time at one of her husband’s gigs. Soon after they had first met one another, he extended an invitation to the woman to become a member of his band.
Tina began performing weekly performances with Ike and the rest of the band when she was just 17 years old. By 1960, the group held her name with the moniker the Ike & Tina Turner Review. Tina is best known for her work with the band the Ike & Tina Turner Review. Tina enthusiastically accepted the proposition that came along with the new band name. The young singer was well on her way to becoming famous, but getting there would cost her a lot of money.
According to Tina, the marriage turned out to be somewhat of a prison for her when she and Ike tied the knot in 1962. She said that Ike had become more aggressive over time, often beating her physically and exercising control over her income as well as her professional choices. The singer said that his pattern of aggressive conduct had a significant negative impact on her mental health.
The singer said that she was unable to pull herself away from Ike even if she wanted to. She really wanted to run away, but she was terrified of what Ike could do to her if she did. At the same time, she was aware that her departure would put an end to Ike’s career, and she didn’t want to be the one to bring that about for him. Therefore, she decided to remain with him.
On the other hand, Tina submitted the divorce paperwork on the 27th of July. Tina was left terrified and intimidated as a result of the whole incident; nonetheless, she maintained her composure and managed to get herself out of her marriage to Ike. Tina was only interested in keeping her stage identity so that she could reinvent herself, but he owned half of the rights to their songs. Tina started again despite the fact that she had no money and no studio space.
Tina’s life was looking brighter when she ended her relationship with Ike and launched a new chapter in her professional life. Tina had established a prosperous solo music career for herself by the time she divorced her first husband, who was violent, and she was getting the attention of major record companies, most notably the European company EMI. This occurred over 10 years after she had ended her first marriage.
Tina landed in Dusseldorf, Germany, in 1985 after being flown there by EMI with the purpose of doing business. Given that EMI had previously signed globally renowned groups like Queen and Radiohead, this was a significant break for the vocalist. It was fair to say that Tina had reached the major leagues at this point. A younger version of Erwin Bach was there to meet her up at the airport when she arrived. Tina was able to recall:
“The day I first met Erwin, I was supposed to be too exhausted from my flight and too preoccupied with thoughts of my concert tour. However, we ended up talking for hours at an airport in Germany.” Nevertheless, I was aware of his… That brief introduction resulted in a fulfilling relationship that lasted for many years and ultimately led to my one and only marriage.
Erwin was 30 years old when he and Tina began dating for the first time in 1986; Tina was 47 years old at the time. The couple dated for a total of 27 years before being married. This age difference led to a lot of people being skeptical about their relationship when they were married in 2013, with a lot of people feeling that Erwin simply married her for her money. They paid little attention to the rumors since they were certain that they had discovered real love.
Tina’s Fresh Start with a New Love: Finding Joy in the Face of Adversity and Making Compromises
By 1986, Tina and Erwin’s relationship had become very intimate. Tina had such a good time in Erwin’s company that she decided to extend an invitation for him to come live in California. This happened during one of the evenings that they spent together at a dinner party. They spent the following 27 years together, during which time they experienced a gradual but steady growth in their love for one another.
After a long and successful career, Turner ultimately decided that her love for Erwin was more important than her job. The pair decided to spend the remainder of their lives together in Switzerland, where they relocated. Throughout the thirty years that they were together, Erwin never stopped sending Turner passionate love letters to convey to her how much he treasured their relationship.
Erwin and Tina waited until 2013 to be married, despite the fact that they had been together for three decades and were deeply in love all that time. The music producer, on the other hand, remembered that he had to make many marriage proposals to the singer before she ultimately said yes to marrying him. Erwin reflected on the first time he popped the question in an interview, saying:
“I believe that by the time a woman reaches the age of 50, she ought to have a commitment from her spouse. I was dedicated, and since I wanted to demonstrate this to you, I got down on one knee. I have never been married in my whole life; I have never gotten married before. And I was prepared with my ring… I was prepared with everything.”
Tina was completely at a loss for words when faced with Erwin’s first proposition. She didn’t want to answer in the affirmative, but she also didn’t want their relationship to come to an end, so she remained silent. Fortunately, Erwin saw what she was trying to convey, and he remained faithful to Tine for almost to three decades until the two of them ultimately tied the knot.
Tina and Erwin Relocate to Switzerland in the Year 1995
Tina and Erwin made the decision to relocate to Switzerland in the year 1995. In 2019, the singer gave an interview in which she discussed her decision, claiming that the life of a musician had become too much for her. The artist shared his thoughts, saying, “I had just gotten tired of singing and making everybody happy.” That was all I’d ever done in my life up to that point.”I don’t sing. I don’t dance. I don’t dress up.”
In 2013, she made the decision to relinquish her citizenship in the United States in order to be with the man she loved, Erwin, for the rest of her life. They did not discuss their relationship publicly, but it was clear that they enjoyed being together. Tina made the decision in 2021 to relinquish all of her musical rights, surrendering all she had to BMG, including the rights to her image, name, and likeness.
In 2007, Tina embarked on her very last tour, during which she wowed audiences with performances that were really unforgettable. Tina was relieved when she completed her last performance and could finally kick back and rest. After the performance, as she was boarding the aircraft, she let out a sigh of relief since she knew that her time spent pursuing a career in music was at an end. She was able to recall:
“When I boarded that plane, I took a long, deep breath, and then I exclaimed, ‘It’s over.’” I genuinely felt like it’s over, and I’m pleased it’s finished. And I returned to my house.”
Tina is aware that many people were disappointed to see the end of her career, but she is also conscious that she made the correct decision. She had a passion for the stage, but by 2009, she was ready to put down roots. She said that despite the fact that many were sad to see her go, she was content with the way her career came to a conclusion.
2013: Tina and Erwin Get Married
Tina, having hung up her hat, turned her attention to the life she was building with Erwin. After living together for so many years, Tina eventually gave in and consented to marry Erwin in 2013. The couple tied the knot in 2013. Tina felt as if she had never been really married until that moment. She found that thinking about her time spent with Ike was not a pleasant experience, and as a result, she decided to think of her life with Erwin as her first “real try” at being married.
Tina said that she felt forced to accept Ike’s proposal of marriage to her because she believed that refusing the proposal would have resulted in friction between them. She also remembered that her previous marriage had turned out to be nothing at all like what she had envisioned for a wedding. To her good fortune, her second wedding was a lot of fun.
The Donation of a Kidney by Bach to Turner in 2017
Tina was experiencing exhaustion during the ceremony despite the fact that her wedding day was full with joy and celebration. After the wedding had been over for three weeks, she awoke unable to speak. Erwin took her to the hospital as quickly as possible, where the medical staff told them that she had experienced a small stroke. She was able to regain some of her dexterity and motor abilities thanks to treatment.
In 2016, further heartache was brought on by the news that the singer had been diagnosed with intestinal cancer. Because the cancer therapy was so taxing on her body, she opted to treat herself with homeopathic medicines instead. Tina’s kidneys failed as a consequence of this, which had its own set of complications to deal with.
Tina was certain that the kidney failure would be her death sentence, and they were having a difficult time locating a donor for her. Erwin, on the other hand, was unable to accept the fact that his wife was going to die and made the decision to intervene. He offered one of his own kidneys to be used in the transplant, and after it was determined that he was a suitable donor, the two of them were brought into the operating room together.
Following the kidney transplant, Erwin greeted her with a cheery “Hi, darling!” as he entered her room in his wheelchair. He was cheerful the whole time. Tina reminisced on their time together and said that Erwin had sent love letters to her during their whole 30 years of being together in a message she shared on Instagram. Even after they were married, the devoted husband continued to do what he had been doing.
Goodbye, Tina
Tina has never been shy about discussing her struggles with her health. During her last days, not only did Tina struggle with her own health, but she also saw a tragedy in her family. Between the years 2018 and 2022, the legendary musician lost in a terrible accident two of the four children she had raised with her first husband, Ike.
Tina gave birth to her eldest child, Craig Turner, when she was only 18 years old. Craig was born to Tina and the artist Raymond Hill, who was the saxophone for the Kings of Rhythm. Although Tina and Ike raised their four children together, only one of their sons, Ronnie Turner, was really their biological child.
2018 and 2022: The Departure of Sons
When Tina’s eldest son, Craig, passed away in a sad accident in 2018, she was confronted with one of the most difficult situations she had ever encountered in her life. Tina revealed some personal information about Craig, stating that he had been an emotional boy who suffered with the stress of witnessing how Ike had treated his mother. Tina did this so that she could open up about Craig.
Craig committed suicide one day in the month of July. Tina honored her son’s memory by posting a photograph on Instagram in the form of a memorial. The photograph depicted Tina, Erwin, and other members of the family sitting on the deck of a ship, as the bereaved mother looked out over the water while holding a rose. Tina has written:
“I said my last farewell to my son, Craig Raymond Turner, on Thursday, July 19, 2018, when I joined with family and friends to spread his ashes off the coast of California. It was a bittersweet moment for me. When he passed away in such a horrible manner, he was fifty-nine years old, yet I will always refer to him as my baby.
Ronnie, Tina and Ike’s sole biological child, went away in 2022 as a result of difficulties caused by metastatic colon cancer. Ronnie was Tina’s second son to pass away. Tina expressed her regret by saying, “Ronnie, you left this world far too soon.” When I can’t bear the pain any longer, I shut my eyes and think of you, my cherished son.
Tina had to make sure that she took proper care of the kidney that had been transplanted into her body till the very end of her life. She made the observation that her lack of proper care for her health was directly responsible for the failure of one of her kidneys. She made the observation that she ought to have been aware that her persistently high blood pressure would have an effect on her at some point in the future.
Tina died away on May 24, 2023, after a long battle with her health and a difficult life during which she saw the passing of two of her children. The legendary musician has away at the age of 83, having been married to her longtime partner throughout her last years. Even though she was facing a lot of difficulties in her latter years, she was really happy with how her life turned out.
A statement was made by the singer indicating that there was nothing more in life that she could possibly desire. After she had retired, she said that she had a more “serene” demeanor. Tina was proud of the fact that she had survived all of the apparently insurmountable obstacles that arose in her life, despite the fact that her life was full of difficulties.
Tina passed away with her lover Erwin at her side in the home she had shared in Kusnacht, which was located close to Zurich in Switzerland. According to the reports, the singer died away in a serene state. The last sentence in Erwin’s letter to Tina read, “All my love always your loving husband.” The letter was their final correspondence.
Please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “help” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org if you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts.
