El ex marido de Gulsüm, Atila Altaunbay. Her ex-husband, the former Turkish bodyguard: She wed the supermodel back in 1996 when she was 48 years old, but the Turkish bodyguard was only 21. Altaunbay disappeared at some point in the mid 2000’s and has not been seen since her divorce. This information of his death is from 2021 in a couple of sites and no one can corroborate this through an obituary, from Jones, or from any official sites.
It’s a story of a Belgian pizza deliverer, his own parents disowning him because of a marriage that was considered impure by their religion and a secret, all-too-secret wedding whose essential particulars are still unknown.
Turkish Beginnings to Belgium
Atila Altaunbay: The Birthdate, Age, Birth Place & Birth Place Of Who Is It? Born 1976, the politician hails from a deeply conservative Muslim background in Turkey (Tuko.co.ke). His neighborhood was also probably not conducive for him to try anything and get creative since he came from a conservative Muslim family where religion and family reputation were very important.
He came from a family that moved to Belgium during his childhood years. That move changed everything. There was more in Belgium during the 1980s and 1990s than there ever was in his own home town, yet it entailed the need to cope with a completely different environment from that which his parents were familiar with.
There is nothing in the world, so he will not tell me, of his earlier years. We have a clue about nothing else though whether he was at school and what brothers and sisters, etc he had as he grew up. But, all that we are actually able to ascertain is that by his late teens he was “working as a pizza delivery guy in Belgium, just making ends meet,” Hudson Farmhouse.
The Pivot to Security Work
Altaunbay didn’t stay in food delivery long. At some point, he decided professional security was the move. He returned to Turkey to train—CPR, AED operation, martial arts, the full package (Hudson Farmhouse).
This wasn’t casual interest.It goes without saying that being a bodyguard, especially one trying to work at Altaunbay’s level, require at least some sort of skill. You’re doing something other than staring them down. You walk rooms, sizing up the dangers and remaining composed when the bullets start flying.
By the mid-1990s, he had developed an adequate reputation for having well-known clients like Grace Jones.
Meeting Grace Jones
Grace Jones in 1996 needs no introduction. At this time, she was one of the most iconic models and singers and actresses — in other words, it made androgynous icon seem bland and inadequate because she truly was an icon and in fact an absolutely and unambiguously legendary model and singer and actress (born in Jamaica in 1948, she had spent decades achieving the unthinkable and changing expectations of what a Black woman could be as an actress and as a model, Wikipedia).
Altaunbay was hired as her bodyguard. Exactly when or where isn’t documented, but the dynamic shifted fast. He went from security detail to romantic interest, and in 1996, they married.
The ceremony happened privately. Some sources claim it was in Rio de Janeiro during Carnival. Others don’t specify. What’s consistent across accounts is that it was small, deliberately low-key, and that Jones didn’t advertise it.
The Age Gap and Family Fallout
When they married, Altaunbay was 21. Jones was 48 years old.
The 27-year age gap was what everyone was interested in talking about, but the actual problem was brought about by his family. They were Muslim. Jones was not. Marrying her—especially someone so far outside the cultural and religious framework they valued—was unacceptable.
According to multiple sources, Altaunbay’s family cut him off after the wedding (News.amomama.com). He lost contact with them. It does not matter whether they decided on this course of action themselves or he did, the split did exist.
On the other hand, Jones did not speak much about the marriage in public. Jones is someone who does not like to share too many details. Interviews from that era barely mention Altaunbay. When they do, it’s in passing.
What Did Altaunbay Actually Do for Work?
Calling Altaunbay “just a bodyguard” undersells it, but his career beyond that role is murky. Some sites describe him as a model and singer (Briefly.co.za). Others say he “occasionally sang at events” (Legit.ng).
No one points to specific modeling campaigns or recorded songs. There are no album credits, no magazine spreads, no music videos. If he did pursue those things, the evidence didn’t make it online—or he worked under a different name, which seems unlikely given how thoroughly his connection to Jones was documented.
Security work remained his primary identity. After Jones, whether he continued in that field isn’t known.
Disintegration of Marriage
Their marriage did not even last ten years, as by the mid-2000s they were divorced (Celebsuburb.com).
Why they split is anyone’s guess. Jones hasn’t explained it. Altaunbay, having vanished from public life, certainly hasn’t either. The age gap gets cited as a factor in most articles, but that’s speculation dressed up as analysis. Plenty of couples with large age differences stay together. Plenty without them don’t.
What’s documented is that the separation was final. No reconciliation, no public co-parenting (they had no children together), no messy tabloid saga. They went their separate ways, and Altaunbay walked out of the spotlight entirely.
What Happened After the Split?
This is where the story gets frustrating.
After leaving Jones, Altaunbay reportedly returned to Belgium (Briefly.co.za). Some have said that he reconciled with his family while some others have mentioned that he engaged himself in philanthropy by assisting the underprivileged.
There are no references of any kind for any of this. No interviews. No photographs. No charitable works in his name. And this is the kind of story most of us tell when we just do not know the real details.
The Death Rumor: 2021 or Not?
Sources about his life say the writer, Atila Altaunbay passed away in the year 2021 (Tuko.co.ke, Legit.ng). “tragically passed away” and “died prematurely,” yet no one knows what it is we see.
There is no obituary. Grace Jones, who has been actively utilizing social media and giving interviews since 2021, did not say anything regarding his demise. Neither any Turkish nor Belgian media reported his death. There’s no death certificate, no funeral announcement, nothing.
Even stranger, some of the same sites claiming he died in 2021 also publish articles about his “2026 net worth” (Drop.littlegreenlight.com). You can’t have both.
The most likely explanation? Someone wrote “reportedly died in 2021” without evidence, and a dozen other content sites copied it because that’s how biography mills work. The claim spread, but the proof never materialized.
Is Altaunbay alive? Maybe. Dead? Possibly. Living quietly in Belgium under a different name? Also possible. The reality is that no one who is not close to him knows the truth.
Atila Altaunbay’s Age and Year of Birth Problems
Even still in a years time! Of all the resources the most common was the year of birth 1976 that means when he would celebrate the age of 50 that will be in the year 2026. He was married at 24 in 1996 ( according to an article he was born in 1971 – 2 ).
That’s a five-year swing. This is not such an issue because of his obscurity, but it provides yet another illustration of just how few facts there are to be verified about him.
Grace Jones: Still Here, Still Working
Jones has kept on singing, recording, and doing interviews. Her 2015 memoir didn’t dwell on Altaunbay. It’s all behind her now, and that is understandable because there have been many chapters in her life.
She has never commented on the rumored death of the man. It is uncertain whether this is because she is unaware, uninterested, or just not in favor of spreading such rumors.
What We Actually Know
After removing all the conjecture, the following remains:
- About me My birth: somewhere mid 70’s, in Turkey.
- Grace Jones hired him as a bodyguard.
- they were married in 1996 since, it doesn’t matter she was a much younger spouse at 22, not the least bit family support for them marriage.
- By the middle of the 2000s, their marriage broke down.
- He left public life completely after the split
- Unsubstantiated reports about his demise in 2021
All the rest–his present condition, his career after marriage, whether he was reconciled to his family or not–is conjecture.
Why Does This Narrative Persist?
Altaunbay just slipped nicely into every available slot of internet dating-frenzy-account. They found love. Older woman. Cultures not shared. Lost to the ether. Reimagining tales, and even fabrication itself, is quite popular online.
What’s missing is the one thing that would make this definitive: Altaunbay himself, speaking on the record. Until that happens—if it ever does—his biography remains half-finished, a footnote to someone else’s much larger story.
(FAQs)
1. Is Atila Altaunbay still alive?
Unknown. Multiple websites claim Atila Altaunbay died in 2021, but there’s no credible evidence—no obituary, no statement from Grace Jones, no news reports. Some sites simultaneously publish articles about his “2026 net worth,” which contradicts the death claims. He may be alive and living privately, or the death reports could be true but undocumented. Without verified information, his current status remains a mystery.
2. How old was Atila Altaunbay when he married Grace Jones?
Atila Altaunbay was 21 years old when he married Grace Jones in 1996. She was 48 at the time, creating a 27-year age gap that drew significant public attention. However, some sources suggest he may have been 24, which would change his birth year from 1976 to around 1971-1972. The exact year remains contested across different biographical sources.
3. Why did Atila Altaunbay and Grace Jones divorce?
The specific reasons for their separation have never been publicly disclosed. The couple split sometime in the mid-2000s after less than a decade of marriage. While many sources speculate the age difference played a role, neither Altaunbay nor Jones has confirmed this. Grace Jones rarely discussed the marriage in interviews and has never publicly explained why it ended.
4. Did Atila Altaunbay’s family disown him for marrying Grace Jones?
Yes, according to multiple sources. Altaunbay came from a traditional Muslim family in Turkey, and marrying Grace Jones—who was not Muslim and significantly older—violated their cultural and religious expectations. Reports indicate his family cut contact with him after the wedding, though it’s unclear whether this estrangement was permanent or if they later reconciled.
5. What was Atila Altaunbay’s net worth?
Estimates vary wildly and are largely speculative. Some sources claim his net worth was around $800,000, reportedly earned through his work as a bodyguard, and possibly modeling or other ventures. However, these figures lack verification and seem to be educated guesses rather than documented financial information. Since Altaunbay has been out of the public eye for roughly two decades, any current net worth estimate is essentially impossible to confirm.
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