Who was Atila Altaunbay? He was a Turkish bodyguard who became known after marrying Grace Jones in 1996. Their wedding took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Jones was already famous across music, fashion, and film. Altaunbay worked in personal security and stayed outside show business. Their different lives drew press attention.

Their relationship did not last. By 2015, Jones said she could not find him to finish a divorce. So the marriage had ended in daily life, but the legal process was still open.

Jones cleared up another point in her memoir, I’ll Never Write My Memoirs. She said Altaunbay was the only man she had legally married. That makes him an important part of her personal history.

Quick Bio

Who Was Atila Altaunbay?

Atila Altaunbay entered the public eye through his marriage to Grace Jones. News reports from 1996 described him as Turkish. They also said he was 21 when he married Jones.

Strong records do not show a major acting or music career. Some websites call him a singer or actor. Early reports, however, identify him as a bodyguard.

Jones had lived in public for years before their marriage. She was known as a model, singer, and actress. Her bold style made her one of the most easy to spot stars of her era.

Altaunbay lived a different kind of life. His work took place behind the scenes. Marriage put his name in newspapers across the world.

Atila Altaunbay’s Turkish Background

Reliable reports identify Altaunbay as Turkish. Jones described him as a Muslim from Turkey in her memoir. That is one of the strongest details about his background.

Many online pages list 1976 as his birth year. But 1996 reports said he was 21. Those claims do not match well enough to use one as fact.

Stories about his early jobs have the same problem. Some pages mention acting, singing lessons, martial arts, and other work. Good proof for those claims is limited.

A careful biography should not fill gaps with copied text. The safer facts are simple. Altaunbay was Turkish, Muslim, and worked as a bodyguard.

How Did Atila Altaunbay Meet Grace Jones?

Atila Altaunbay worked in personal security for Grace Jones. Their work link later turned into a relationship. The pair then decided to marry.

Jones had spent much of her adult life in the public eye. She was born in Jamaica in 1948. She later moved to the United States with her family.

Her career took her to Paris, where she found success as a model. Music then brought her a wider audience. Film gave her another form of fame.

Altaunbay came from the other side of celebrity life. His job was to protect a star. He did not enter the relationship as a famous public figure.

Atila Altaunbay and Grace Jones Married in Rio

The couple married on February 24, 1996. Their wedding took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The service was held in a private home.

A Presbyterian minister named Rubens Pires led the ceremony. News reports said about 50 guests attended. It was a small wedding for a star as famous as Jones.

Jones was in Rio during Carnival. She had work in the city at the same time. The wedding became part of a busy period in her public life.

One report said the pair went to a gym after the service. It is a small detail, but an unusual one. It gives the wedding day a less formal feel.

Why Was Their Marriage Big News?

The couple’s age gap drew fast attention. News reports said Altaunbay was 21 at the wedding. Jones was much older.

Age was not the only reason people noticed. Jones had dated famous men before. Yet she had not legally married any of them.

Jones later made that point clear in her memoir. She said Atila Altaunbay was the one man she legally married. Her own words carry more weight than old gossip reports.

Their jobs added another angle. Jones was a world famous performer. Her husband came from personal security and had little fame before the wedding.

Grace Jones Had Famous Partners Before the Marriage

One of Jones’s best known former partners was Jean Paul Goude. He is a French artist and image maker. He worked with Jones on some of her famous visual work.

Jones and Goude had a son named Paulo Goude in 1979. Paulo is Jones’s only child. Altaunbay is not his father.

Jones also dated Dolph Lundgren. He worked as her bodyguard before his acting career grew. He later became known for action films.

Lundgren appeared in A View to a Kill with Jones. The 1985 James Bond film gave him a small role. Jones played the character May Day.

Atila Altaunbay and Grace Jones Had No Children

Atila Altaunbay and Jones had no children together. Jones already had one son before the 1996 marriage. His name is Paulo Goude.

Paulo was born in 1979. His father is Jean Paul Goude. Jones and Goude had worked together in fashion and art.

Marriage made Altaunbay part of Jones’s wider family life. Still, firm records say little about his daily relationship with Paulo. It would be wrong to invent details.

Jones later became a grandmother through Paulo. Her direct family line comes through her son. Altaunbay had no biological child with Jones.

What Happened to Atila Altaunbay and Grace Jones?

The marriage later broke down. By 2015, Grace Jones said she could not find her husband. This stopped her from completing a formal divorce.

Jones said they viewed themselves as divorced. But the legal process had not ended. That difference matters when describing the marriage.

Many online pages give 2004 as the year of their split. The date appears in many biographies. Yet firm public records give a clearer picture of their status in 2015.

Some stories include claims about fights and threats. Strong proof for each claim is hard to find. A fact based biography should not present them as settled events.

Was Atila Altaunbay Grace Jones’ Only Husband?

Yes, based on Jones’s own account. She wrote that Atila Altaunbay was the only man she had legally married. She used her memoir to correct older reports.

One of those older reports involved Chris Stanley. Some publications had called Stanley her husband. Jones rejected that claim.

She said Altaunbay was her legal husband. She also described him as a Muslim from Turkey. Her statement leaves little doubt about whom she considered her husband.

The phrase “ex husband” needs some care. Jones said in 2015 that the divorce was not complete. In daily life, though, the relationship had ended.

Atila Altaunbay’s Life Outside the Spotlight

After the split, Atila Altaunbay vanished from major press coverage. Jones kept working in music, fashion, and live shows. He chose a far less public life.

Jones said in 2015 that she could not find him. That statement shows how separate their lives had become. It also explains why the divorce had not been completed.

Some online biographies link him to charity work in Belgium. Others give him roles in small groups. Those claims need stronger proof before they should appear as firm facts.

His public record becomes thin after the marriage. Most strong reports point back to the 1996 wedding. That event remains the main reason his name is known.

Facts About Atila Altaunbay

• Turkish bodyguard named in 1996 news reports
• Married Grace Jones on February 24, 1996
• Wedding took place in Rio de Janeiro
• Ceremony was held in a private home
• Rubens Pires led the wedding service
• About 50 guests were reported
• Age was reported as 21 at the wedding
• Jones called him a Muslim from Turkey
• Only man Jones said she legally married
• No children with Grace Jones
• Not the father of Paulo Goude
• Marriage had ended by 2015
• Formal divorce was not complete in 2015

Grace Jones’s Career During the Marriage

By 1996, Grace Jones had built a long career. She had worked in fashion for years. She also had success in music and film.

Her album Warm Leatherette came out in 1980. Nightclubbing followed in 1981. Both records became major parts of her music career.

Jones released Slave to the Rhythm in 1985. The title song became one of her best known tracks. Her deep voice helped give her music a distinct sound.

Film brought her another audience. She appeared in Conan the Destroyer in 1984. In 1985, she played May Day in the James Bond film A View to a Kill.

Why Does Atila Altaunbay Still Draw Interest?

Atila Altaunbay still gets attention because Jones named him as her only legal husband. Yet his public record is small. That gap makes people search for more information.

His story also shows a problem with online biographies. One weak claim can be copied by many websites. After time, repetition can make it look true.

His birth year is one example. Claims about singing, acting, and charity work raise the same concern. Leaving out weak claims is better than filling a biography with guesses.

The strongest record stays tied to two dates. Altaunbay married Grace Jones in Rio on February 24, 1996. In 2015, Jones said the formal divorce had not been completed.

FAQs

Who was Atila Altaunbay?

Atila Altaunbay was a Turkish bodyguard best known for marrying Grace Jones on February 24, 1996. Jones later said he was the only man she had legally married.

When did Grace Jones marry her bodyguard?

Grace Jones married her bodyguard on February 24, 1996. The ceremony took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with Presbyterian minister Rubens Pires leading the service.

Did Grace Jones and her husband have children together?

No. The couple had no children together. Jones’s son, Paulo Goude, was born in 1979, and his father is Jean Paul Goude.

Did Grace Jones legally divorce her husband?

Jones said in 2015 that she could not find her husband to finish the divorce. She viewed the relationship as over, but the legal process had not been completed at that time.

Was Grace Jones’ husband a singer and actor?

Strong 1996 reports describe him as a bodyguard. Some later websites add acting and singing work, but firm proof is weak. Bodyguard remains the safest verified job title.