Who is Tina Turner’s husband? She called Erwin Bach her 'soul mate'

Tina Turner was born in Nutbush, Tennessee and spent a majority of her career performing for fans around the world. But almost 20 years ago, she left the United States and moved to Switzerland, where she lived in her estate with her second husband, Erwin Bach, a German record producer.

The two married in 2013 after 27 years together. Living in Switzerland, they remained slightly hidden away from the public eye until her death at the estate at the age of 83.

Her spokesperson confirmed the news of her passing on May 24, saying in a statement: “With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model.”

Turner was considered a pioneer in rock music and a role model for overcoming a traumatic past that included an abusive relationship with ex-husband and manager Ike Turner. She divorced the singer in 1978 and later found love with Bach.

Keep reading to learn more about their love story that began after a chance encounter at an airport.

The couple first met in 1985

Bach and Turner’s first meeting resembles a scene out of a classic rom com. Bach, then a 30-year-old German music executive, was tasked with picking up Turner, a 47-year-old superstar, from the airport.

“The Best” singer recalled seeing Bach for the first time in 1985 during a sit-down with Oprah Winfrey on “Oprah’s Next Chapter” in August 2013.

“I really needed love,” she said. “I just needed to love a person.”

Then Bach walked into her life.

“He was another kind of handsome,” she said. “Great eyes. So I got in the car with Erwin and my heart was bu-bum, already. My hands were wet, and I thought ‘Oh, my God. This is love at first sight.’”

They eventually started dating, and he proposed to her twice before she said yes. The first time he popped the question was when Turner turned 50. He told Winfrey that he thought a woman should have some type of “commitment” by that age.

But she did not think it was real.

“I didn’t believe him,” she shared. “But I didn’t want to say no because I wanted to continue the relationship.”

She finally said yes years later, and they married in 2013.

27 years after meeting, they got married

Almost 30 years after they started dating, the couple tied the knot in 2013 at their home in Lake Zurich in Kusnacht, Switzerland. They wedded the same year Turner formally relinquished her U.S. citizenship and permanently moved to Switzerland.

In July 2013, a Swiss municipal official confirmed to global news agency AFP that the longtime couple married in a civil ceremony.

According to ET Online, Turner walked down the aisle to the song “All for Love,” performed by Bryan Adams, with whom she collaborated with on the hit rock anthem “It’s Only Love.”

At the time, some Swiss media outlets reported that the pair had a Buddhist ceremony as Turner converted to Buddhism later in life. David Bowie, Sade and Oprah Winfrey were said to be a few of the 120 guests in attendance at the grand ceremony.

Speaking with Winfrey for “Oprah’s Next Chapter” a few months after the nuptials, Turner said, “There comes a time in life where you must put things in place.”

Bach donated a kidney to Turner

The “Proud Mary” singer wrote in her 2018 memoir, “My Love Story,” that she started to experience serious health problems soon after her wedding.

“I’ve been on such a wild roller-coaster in the four years since my wedding that even I have difficulty keeping my medical catastrophes straight,” she wrote. ”

Turner revealed that she suffered a stroke just three months into their marriage. Her history of high blood pressure caused her to have kidney problems, as well.

Though she needed a kidney transplant, a 2016 diagnosis of intestinal cancer delayed her surgery.

In 2017, she had a successful transplant surgery after her husband donated his kidney.

She referred to Bach as her 'soul mate'

Two years before her death, Turner opened up to TODAY.com about her advice book “Happiness Becomes You” and shared what brought her joy in her life.

Decades into her partnership with Bach, she credited him and her two sons, Craig Turner and Ronnie Turner, for being among her sources of happiness.

“Some of the happiest moments in my life were the birth of my beautiful baby boys, Craig and Ronnie, and marrying my partner and soul mate, Erwin Bach,” she said at the time. “As for my music, achieving No. 1 with my song 'What’s Love Got to Do with It' and receiving multiple Grammy Awards were thrilling moments, and performing for my fans always felt so great, like I was flying.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com