When Tina Turner Urgently Needed Vital Surgery, Her Husband Chose To Give Her A Life-Saving Gift

Nearly 40 years ago, legendary music icon Tina Turner first met her husband, Erwin Bach. Turner, who sadly passed away May 24th, 2023, found the love she deserved in Bach and detailed their relationship in her memoir, My Love Story. In it, the Queen of Rock n' Roll spoke candidly about her previous health struggles and the priceless gift her husband gave her, giving fans insight into her epic romance.

Singing in the choir

Turner was born in Nutbush, Tennessee in November 1939. Her birth name was Anna Mae Bullock. The now 78-year-old started singing in the choir at church as a child, but it was when she was a teenager that her career began.

Fateful introduction

When Turner was 17 years old, the singer saw Ike Turner and the Kings of Rhythm perform at a Missouri nightclub. Believe it or not, she was invited to sing with them after Eugene Washington, the band’s drummer, heard her voice. The teen then became a guest singer for the band and even performed backing vocals on one of Ike’s songs. He created the stage name Tina Turner for her and their first single, “A Fool in Love,” was released in 1960.

The relationship begins

Turner had been dating the band’s saxophone player, Raymond Hill, in the late 1950s and fell pregnant with his child. They had a son named Craig, who Ike later adopted, but he sadly took his own life in 2018 at age 59. After her relationship with Hill disintegrated, the singer became romantically involved with Ike.

Abuse

The couple welcomed son Ronnie in 1960 and they married two years later in Tijuana, Mexico. However, the marriage soon became strained as Ike was abusive towards Turner. “Sure, I’ve slapped Tina,” he wrote in 1999 autobiography Taking Back My Name. “There have been times when I punched her to the ground without thinking. But I have never beat her.”