At the height of his fame in 1999 , Tarkan was called up for military service , which had been legally deferred since 1995 . The deadline for beginning his service had passed in 1998 , but due to contractual obligations abroad after the success of his compilation album he did not return to Turkey to do his military service . The media discussed whether Tarkan should be viewed as a deserter and stripped of his citizenship . Even the Turkish parliament discussed the issue . After the August 1999 earthquake shook Turkey , legislation was enacted that allowed those covered by the law to pay $ 16,000 for the benefit of the earthquake victims in return for shortening their military service obligation to 28 days . Tarkan returned to Turkey in 2000 , took advantage of this law , and completed his service . Of his shortened time in military training , he said : " It was January and snowing like crazy . It was tough ; the food was terrible . Eighteen months of my life for nothing ? I thought my own dreams were more important . " Tarkan was in a relationship with a French model in the early 1990s , and with a Turkish journalist between 1994 and 1996 . Because Tarkan does not like to talk about his personal life , there has been speculation about his sexual orientation in the popular press . Photos stolen from his house in New York in 2001 were portrayed as compromising ; they were photos with other men in swimwear at a public nude beach . In one of the pictures he appears to be kissing a man . In an interview with '' Hürriyet '' , Tarkan contested the widespread assumption that he was gay . He said that men spread the rumours , because he did n't conform to their image of being a man . One of his ex-girlfriends also denied he was gay . Tarkan later gave fewer and fewer interviews and television appearances , limiting himself to a small number of trusted journalists . In 2006 , he said that his relationship with the media had gone wrong
August 1999 earthquake
1999 İzmit earthquake
Tarkan (singer)