When the late songstress Tina Turner and her husband, Erwin Bach, purchased a sprawling estate overlooking Lake Zurich, it was a far cry from her humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee. The couple purchased the property for $76 million. It turned out to be where Turner would rest as she battled several illnesses before dying on May 24.
Turner was an American singer and songwriter whose life and music made her one of the most celebrated recording artists ever. Known as the “Queen of Rock ‘n Roll,” Turner began her career as an entertainer in St. Louis as a singer with her ex-husband, Ike Turner. After their troubled marriage and divorce in 1978, Turner launched her solo career in 1984, with the hit song, “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” She went on to have a successful career that allowed her to win 12 Grammy Awards and three Grammy Hall of Fame awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Turner’s autobiography, “I, Tina,” provided the inspiration for the biopic “What’s Love Got To Do With It.”
In 2009, Turner retired from touring and performing. In 2021, Turner was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. That same year, she sold her music, likeness and image rights to BMG Rights Management for $50 million. At her death, Turner’s net worth was estimated to be $250 million.
Inside Turner and Bach’s Switzerland Estate
The couple rented a home in Kuesnacht, a town on the outskirts of Zurich, for many years before becoming Swiss citizens.
Yet once Turner and Bach became citizens, they were able to purchase the property. And with the pandemic in full swing, the couple knew they needed space and privacy.
Bach said in an interview, “[We] feel very comfortable in Switzerland…due to the pandemic and its consequences we — like many other Swiss — unfortunately are refraining from travel.”
The 260,000-square-foot estate includes a private pond, stream, swimming pool and boat deck. On the property, which includes a private lakefront, 10 buildings stretch out across 5.5 acres of land.
The purchase was a testament to Turner’s need for outdoor space. In an interview with Architectural Digest in 2000, Turner said, “I need nature and solitude — they nurture me. My idea of a vacation is reading a book on the terrace while my boyfriend cooks us dinner.”
Throughout the property are bushes, trees and other greenery that provided Turner with privacy while she healed from a stroke and kidney disease.
Bushes and other greenery allow for some privacy, while a swimming pool and a dock allow for further enjoyment of the outdoors.
According to Bach, purchasing the property made sense because of the pandemic and their need for more space.
The couple recently had become citizens in Switzerland, which allowed them to purchase the property.
Leaving The United States
Turner relocated to Europe in 1994, and resided in Switzerland for many years. In 2013, she renounced her United States citizenship.
In an interview with Larry King in 1997, Turner said, “I have left America because my success was in another country and my boyfriend was in another country … basically, Europe has been very supportive of my music.”
