Tina Turner’s husband shows her ‘love doesn’t require dimming of my light’

In her new book, the singer describes her relationship with Erwin Bach as her 'one true marriage.'

Dec 1, 2020

Tina Turner says her husband of seven years, Erwin Bach, has shown her that “true love doesn’t require dimming of my light.”

The legendary singer shares inspiring tales and words of wisdom in Happiness Becomes You: A Guide to Changing Your Life for Good, which is available now. Turner authored the self-help book detailing her experience on how “to love without giving up who I am.”

Turner, 81, and Bach, 64, married in 2014 and they live peacefully and comfortably in Zürich, Switzerland. In her book, she describes her relationship with Bach as her “one true marriage.”

“We grant each other freedom and space to be individuals at the same time we are a couple,” Turner writes in the book, PEOPLE Magazine reports. “Erwin, who is a force of nature in his own right, has never been the least bit intimidated by my career, my talents, or my fame. He shows me that true love doesn’t require the dimming of my light so that he can shine. On the contrary, we are the light of each other’s lives, and we want to shine as bright as we can, together.”

Turner’s abusive marriage to first husband Ike Turner is documented in the hit 1993 film What’s Love Got To Do With It?.

“Falling in love with my husband, Erwin, was another exercise in leaving my comfort zone, of being open to the unexpected gifts that life has to offer,” Turner writes. “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, and in too much of a hurry to get to my hotel to pay much attention to the young music executive who came from my record company to welcome me.”

“But I did notice him, and I instantly felt an emotional connection,” she continued. “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. That simple first meeting led to a long, beautiful relationship — and my one true marriage.”

Bach is not only the love of her life, he’s also a lifesaver. He donated one of his kidneys to Turner in 2017 when she suffered kidney failure and needed an emergency donor, theGrio previously reported.

“I’m happy to say that, thanks to my beloved husband, Erwin, giving me one of his kidneys, the gift of life, I’m in good health and loving life every day,” Turner writes. “I’m also thankful that I’ve not only survived, but thrived, so that I can pass on to you this book containing precious gifts that were given to me — the greatest gifts I can offer.”

Happiness Becomes You: A Guide to Changing Your Life for Good is categorized under body, mind & spirit, and Eastern philosophy on book publisher Simon and Schuster. Turner’s book will enlighten readers to her Buddhist principles and offer ways to brighten your day.

“I really do believe that age is just a number, and I have never let age stand in my way,” Turner writes. “Not at 42, when people said that I was too old to be a rock star. And not now, in my eighties, when the book I dreamed of writing for decades is finally in your hands. I’ve passed 80, but I have not ‘arrived,’ because I still challenge myself to grow, to step out of my comfort zone, to improve my life, and to be of service to others.”

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