Tina Turner admitted she considered assisted suicide in 2016 before Erwin Bach donated his kidney
Tina Turner admitted that she considered assisted suicide in 2016 before her husband Erwin Bach donated his kidney to her.
The beloved star passed away at her home in Küsnach near Zurich, Switzerland, at the age of 83, after struggling with health issues for years.
She revealed in her memoir that she signed up with an assisted suicide organization in late 2016 while mentally preparing for the possibility of dying.
Turner had learned that her out-of-control high blood pressure had accelerated her kidney damage – and when her body shut down, she began to make peace with the idea of death.
Finally, her husband Bach offered her a kidney in 2017.
The final photo Tina Turner posted on March 22, 2021 of herself telling her fans she was excited about the release of her documentary ‘Tina’
Tina Turner and her husband Erwin Bach. Turner revealed that she was considering physician-assisted suicide when she realized her kidneys were failing due to her high blood pressure. Finally, her husband offered to give her an organ
She wrote in her book, “I think that’s when the idea of my death became a reality for Erwin. He was very emotional because he didn’t want to lose me, didn’t want me to leave’
In an excerpt from her book published by DailyMail.com, Turner wrote, “In December 2016, my kidneys were at a new low of 20 percent and rapidly collapsing. And I was faced with two choices: regular dialysis or a kidney transplant.
“It wasn’t my idea of life. But the toxins in my body started to take over. I couldn’t eat. I was surviving, but not living.
“I started thinking about death. If my kidneys gave out and it was time to die, I could accept that. It was okay. When it’s time, it really is time. I didn’t mind dying, but I was worried about how it would go.
“One of the benefits of living in Switzerland is that assisted suicide is legal, although the patient must inject the deadly drug themselves.
‘There are several organizations that facilitate the process, including Exit and Dignitas. I signed up as a member of Exit, just in case.
“I think that’s when the idea of my death became a reality for Erwin. He was very emotional because he didn’t want to lose me, didn’t want me to leave.’
Tina Turner revealed that it was at this point that her husband offered her a kidney.
She recalled, “He said he didn’t want another woman or another life; we were happy and he would do anything to keep us together.
Oprah Winfrey and Tina Turner attend the opening night of ‘Tina – The Tina Turner Musical’ at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater on November 7, 2019
Tina Turner performing onstage at the World Music Theater, Tinley Park, Illinois, June 28, 1997
Then he shocked me. He said he wanted to give me one of his kidneys.
“I was overwhelmed by the sheer size of his offerings. But because I love him, my first reaction was to try to persuade him not to take such a serious and irreversible step.’
Tina Turner died on May 24.
On April 9, in what are believed to be her last public remarks, she told The Guardian how she hoped the world would remember her — and how she didn’t fear death.
“How would you like to be remembered?” asked the Keeper.
Like the queen of rock and roll. As a woman who showed other women that it’s okay to strive for success on their own terms.”
When asked what frightens her about getting older, she replied, “Nothing. This is life’s full adventure and I embrace and accept each day with what it brings.’
Turner is survived by two of her four sons – two predeceased her – and her 67-year-old husband, Erwin Bach.
The couple got married in 2013 after nearly 30 years of dating.
Born Anna-Mae Bullock in 1939 in Brownsville, Tennessee, to Zelma and Floyd Bullock, Turner overcame a turbulent childhood and an abusive marriage to become a musical sensation and legendary performer.
Turner with Mick Jagger at the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia in 1985. It was an iconic performance with palpable chemistry. Turner toured with the Rolling Stones in the late 1960s. In her latest interview last month, Turner admitted she was “always in love” with him
With Elton John in 1995 at the VH1 Fashion & Music Awards in New York
Turner with her first husband, Ike. The pair rose to fame together on the Ike and Tina Turner Revue
In her early twenties, she found fame with the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, a live act featuring her former husband.
Behind their veneer of success and marital bliss, she endured brutal abuse throughout the marriage. They divorced in 1978.
Turner, determined to succeed on her own and with four sons to raise, stunned fans and the media by speaking publicly about the abuse.
“I wanted to prevent people from thinking that Ike & Tina was so positive, that we were such a great team,” Turner explained in an eponymous documentary.
In the early 1980s, she was a musical powerhouse in her own right, rubbing shoulders with the world’s most respected rock stars.
Exciting performances with Mick Jagger and David Bowie set her success on fire and she was soon celebrated with awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Throughout her career, Turner won eight Grammys from 25 nominations and three lifetime Grammy Awards. Her last stadium concert was in Sheffield, England, in 2009.