In the later part of her life, Tina Turner experienced a life-threatening illness that had her contemplating medically-assisted suicide, which was legal in Switzerland, where she lived with Erwin Bach. In an essay she wrote for the European Kidney Health Alliance, the singer confessed to mismanaging her hypertension due to her aversion to traditional medicine, leading her to resort to homeopathic alternatives. Sadly, it led to decreased kidney function, which forced her to go into dialysis.
In her book, “My Love Story,” she wrote that she felt so helpless at the time that she considered euthanasia. “I faced two choices: either regular dialysis or a kidney transplant. It wasn’t my idea of life. But the toxins in my body had started taking over. I couldn’t eat. I was surviving, but not living,” she penned (via Bang Premier). “I began to think about death… There are several organizations that facilitate the process, including Exit and Dignitas. I signed up to be a member of Exit, just in case.”
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But then Bach decided to donate one of his kidneys, which she refused at first. “I was overwhelmed by the enormity of his offer,” she added. “But because I love him, my first response was to try to talk him out of taking such a serious and irreversible step.” The transplant happened in 2017, and admittedly, Tina had conflicted feelings about the whole thing. “I wondered if anyone would think that Erwin’s living donation was transactional in some way,” she said. Bach, for his part, never regretted it at all. In an interview with The New York Times, he said: “And I would do it again.”
