The music icon Tina Turner passed away on Wednesday, leaving her beloved husband behind. The vocalist went through a tough divorce before she met Erwin Bach. Bach stuck with Turner until her final days, writing love letters to her for over 30 years.
After a long and fruitful career, Turner eventually chose her love for Erwin over her career.
She said: “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 … That simple first meeting led to a long, beautiful relationship — and my one true marriage.”
In 2013, she gave up her American citizenship, choosing to live out her life with her beloved Erwin in Switzerland.
She said: “I think when a woman turns 50 she should have a commitment from her partner. I was committed and I wanted to show this, so I went down on my knee. I never did that before in my life, I was never married before. And I had my ring ready … I had everything ready.”
After hanging up her hat, Tina focused on her life with Erwin.
Although her wedding day was filled with celebration and happiness, Tina felt fatigued during the ceremony. Three weeks after the wedding, she woke up, unable to talk. Naturally, Erwin rushed her to the hospital, where doctors informed them she had suffered a mild stroke. Luckily, therapy helped restore her dexterity and motor functions.
In 2016, more tragedy struck when the vocalist was diagnosed with intestinal cancer. The cancer treatment wreaked havoc on her system, so she switched to homeopathic remedies. These had their own drawbacks, and Tina’s kidneys failed as a result.
They were struggling to find her a donor, and Tina was sure the kidney failure would be her end.
Tina spent her final days in her house in Kusnacht near Zurich, Switzerland, with her beloved Erwin by her side.
Reports indicate the singer passed away peacefully. In the last letter Erwin wrote to Tina, he finished with, “All my love always your loving husband.”