Atila Altaunbay is the former bodyguard and ex-husband of Grace Jones, a Jamaican model, singer, and actress. Atila (born in 1976; Age: 49 years old) and the iconic singer were married from 1996 to 2004.
Atila Altaunbay caught the media’s attention as a result of his marriage to Grace Jones. The two, while their union lasted, created good memories, but unfortunately, their marriage did not stand the test of time, and they fell apart after eight years. Atila and Grace Jones’ love story is a typical instance to show that love happens where you least expect it. Get to know more about Atila, whose marriage to Grace has continued to keep him in the limelight.
Summary of Atila Altaunbay’s Bio
- Full name: Atila Altaunbay
- Gender: Male
- Year of birth: 1976
- Atila Altaunbay’s Age: 49 years old
- Ethnicity: White
- Nationality: Turkish
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Islamic
- Marital Status: Divorced
- Atila Altaunbay’s Ex-wife: Grace Jones
- Atila Altaunbay’s Children: None
- Famous for: Being Grace Jone’s ex-husband
- Atila Altaunbay’s Height in Inches: 5 feet 7 inches
- Atila Altaunbay’s Height in Centimetres: 170 cm
Atila Altaunbay is Turkish
Atila’s year of birth is recorded as 1976, but the exact date and month he was born have not been disclosed to the public. Before his marriage to Grace, Atila has mostly been out of the spotlight, so it has been a difficult task getting specific facts about him. Meanwhile, his ex-wife Grace Jones is 28 years older than him. She was born on 19th May 1948 and is now 76 years old.
Atila Altaunbay was born in Turkey into a Turkish-Muslim family. Regardless, he was raised in Belgium, Northwestern Europe. There are no details about his parents’ and siblings’ identities.
Growing up in Belgium, Atila started attending singing classes and CPR training. Moreso, as a bodyguard, we believe that he must have also trained in fights. Besides these, nothing more is known about his upbringing and educational background.
Atila Altaunbay’s Career as an Actor and Grace Jones’ Bodyguard
Apart from being a professional bodyguard, Atila is also an actor and has appeared in a couple of stage dramas and movies, including Mind Games. Moreover, before becoming a bodyguard, Atila previously worked as a Pizza delivery boy in a club in Belgium. At the same time, he was into modelling and sang at weddings.
Grace Jones met Atila on a particular night she went to the club where the latter works. Jones liked Atila at the very first sight of him and immediately asked if he could work as her bodyguard. Having previously heard of her celebrity status, Atila did not hesitate to grab the opportunity. For the record, he earned around $800k working as a bodyguard for Grace.
How Atila Altaunbay Eventually Turned From Grace Jones’ BodyGuard to Her Husband
While working as a bodyguard, Atila found love in the line of duty. His kind of job calls for frequent contact, so he was always close to his boss. As a result, it was not long before they fell in love and began to date. Atila and Grace dated for a couple of months before Grace offered him a marriage proposal.
Needless to say, Altaunbay obliged, and they got married in a private wedding ceremony on the 24th of January 1996. Meanwhile, throughout the time they were dating, the duo did not make any public appearances or showcase their affection to the public. Hence, many were shocked by the news of their marriage.
The wedding ceremony took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, just after Jones staged a show during the year’s carnival celebration. At this time, Atila was only 21, while his boss-turned-wife was 48 years old. Their wedding caused a stir primarily because of the age difference.
Regardless, Grace appeared in a luxury white lace bustier and form-fitting white trousers at the wedding ceremony. The commemoration, which was officiated by a Presbyterian minister in a private house, had in attendance only 50 guests. After the wedding, the newly wedded couple set out for their honeymoon in New York.
Atila’s Family was Not in Support of The Marriage
Atila defaulted on his family tradition by marrying Grace Jones, which was considered a serious act of disobedience. Atila comes from a Turkish Muslim family whose tradition states that all males in a family should get married according to their age. This simply means that the eldest male child should get married first, and then his younger ones would follow.
Meanwhile, Atila is the youngest in his family, and his other older brothers are still unmarried. Consequently, his family completely disagreed with the marriage, but Atila didn’t care. Instead, he cut off ties with them and eloped with his celebrity wife.
Grace and Atila Got Divorce in 2004
Sadly, despite the challenges they went through to be together as husband and wife, Grace Jones and Atila Altaunbay’s marriage crashed in 2004 after eight years. In an interview, the singer said that they called it quits as a result of constant arguments, which ultimately led to threats with knives. On one of the occasions, Atila pulled out a knife at Jones and threatened to kill her.
Following that, Atila left their matrimonial home, returned to his family, and has ever since then, been unreachable. Some available reports have it that Atila’s action was enhanced by jealousy because seeing his wife getting a lot of attention allegedly took a bad toll on him. However, even though they got separated, the couple is still legally married because they did not get officially divorced.
Atila’s marriage with Grace didn’t produce any child; he also does not have a child of his own apart from the marriage. However, as long as the marriage lasted, Atila served as stepfather to Grace’s son Paulo Goude. Paulo was born on 12th November 1979 and is 54 at the moment. Grace Jones had Paulo with her former partner, Jean Paul-Goude.
It is also notable that Grace was never married before and after she met Atila. She actually had a number of high-profile relationships through the years but never got married to any of the men.
Where is Atila Altaunbay Now?
Some reports have it that Atila Altaunbay died in 2021 at the age of 45. While this is not verified, the fact remains that he has vanished from the spotlight with his whereabouts unknown. Notably, Atila’s relationship with Grace Jones, marriage, and subsequent divorce are the major factors that made him an item in the media space. As a result, ever since their marriage unofficially hit the rocks, nothing further has been heard or known about the Turkish native bodyguard. Meanwhile, Grace Jone has remained an influential entertainer even at age 76.
FAQs
Who is Atila Altaunbay’s Wife?
Atila Altaunbay’s ex-wife is Grace Jones, the Jamaican musician and former model who is regarded as one of the greatest dance club artists of all time. Atila Altaunbay and Grace Jones were married from 1996 to 2004.
What is Atila Altaunbay’s Age?
Atila Altaunbay’s age is 49 as of 2025. Some reports have it that he died in 2021 at the age of 45.
Is Atila Altaunbay Married?
Atila Altaunbay is not married at the moment as he and his ex-wife Grace Jones divorced in 2004, and there is no report of him remarrying.
Does Grace Jones Have a Partner?
Grace Jones may have a partner at the moment, but she is yet to reveal the person’s name to the public. Having previously dated the likes of Dolph Lundgren (a Swedish actor) and Sven-Ole Thorsen (a Danish actor and stunts man), Jones revealed in 2007 that she was now in an open relationship.