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Willie Nelson<\/strong><\/a> remains a country music powerhouse at 92, continuing to perform and connect with fans after more than seven decades in the spotlight. The Texas native became a household name with classics like \u201cOn the Road Again,\u201d \u201cTo All the Girls I\u2019ve Loved Before,\u201d and \u201cPancho and Lefty,\u201d and his legacy extends beyond music \u2014 he\u2019s long been a vocal advocate for farmers\u2019 rights, marijuana legalization, and LGBTQ+ equality.<\/p>\n The life I love is makin’ music with my friends\u2026 Thanks for having us, Phoenix! \u2014 Willie Nelson (@WillieNelson) May 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n His personal life has been just as colorful. The Grammy winner has been married four times \u2014 to Martha Matthews, Shirley Collie, Connie Koepke <\/strong>and his current wife, Annie D\u2019Angelo<\/strong> . \u201cI\u2019m not easy to live with,\u201d he admitted to Parade<\/a> <\/em>in 2010, reflecting on his multiple marriages. \u201cI\u2019ve been used to doing things my own way for so long that I\u2019m not interested in any suggestions.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a closer look at his ex-wives and his lasting relationship with Annie below.<\/p>\n When Willie was 19 years old and discharged from the Air Force due to back injuries, he met Martha, who was 16 at the time, per Sunset Blvd Records<\/em><\/a>. <\/em>They would go on to welcome three children: Lana, Susie, <\/strong>and Willie Nelson Jr. <\/strong>But their home was not a happy one, as the young couple \u201cquarreled, brawled, and drank heavily,\u201d per Parade. The relationship became so volatile, Martha once tied up Willie in a blanket and beat him with a broomstick, according to the Los Angeles Times<\/em><\/a>. Martha denied the story, saying she used a kid\u2019s jump rope instead of a blanket to tie Willie up.<\/p>\n They split in 1962, and according to the Orlando Sentinel<\/em><\/a>, Martha died in 1989 at the age of 53.<\/p>\n In 1963, Willie took Shirley for his second bride. Shirley had a successful career as a rockabilly singer, yodeler, guitarist and songwriter. The couple would even often tour together. However, divorce was imminent after Shirley found a bill from the maternity ward of a Houston hospital saying Willie had fathered a baby with another woman, Connie Koepke. \u201cThe bill said the charges were for the birth of a baby girl, Paula Carlene, born to a Mrs. Connie Nelson,\u201d Willie recalled in his memoir 2020 \u201cMe and Sister Bobbie: True Tales of the Family Band,\u201d via People<\/em><\/a>. \u201cShirley wanted to know who in the hell was Connie Nelson. Couldn\u2019t lie. Was caught flatfooted. Had to get the words out of my mouth. \u2018Connie\u2019s my girlfriend and Paula\u2019s our daughter.’\u201d<\/p>\n Willie and Shirley divorced in 1971. She died in 2010 at the age of 78.<\/p>\n In the same year he divorced Shirley, Willie made an honest woman out of Connie. Two years later, they welcomed another daughter named Amy. Their 16-year marriage would bring Willie back to his home state of Texas, where he felt he was could connect with his fans again. \u00a0\u201cI really felt like I needed to be in Texas playing to the people that were and still are my base,\u201d he told Parade<\/em>. The love affair wouldn\u2019t survive Willie\u2019s affairs, though, and they bid adieu in 1988. \u201cI messed up another marriage. My wandering ways were too much for any woman to put up with,\u201d he admitted in his memoir.<\/p>\n Willie met makeup artist Annie in 1986 while working on the film Stagecoach<\/em>. \u201cIn the mid-eighties I fell head over heels in love with Ann Marie D\u2019Angelo, called Annie. Never had met a woman like her before,\u201d he wrote in his memoir. The pair married in 1991, and Annie quickly proved to be a steady and grounding presence in his life.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was friction with my other wives. But it seems like Annie and I did OK with each other. It takes a special person to live with me,\u201d he told Parade<\/em>. More than three decades later, the couple remain happily married.<\/p>\n \n\t\t<\/div>\n\n
\ud83d\udcf7: Aubrey Wise pic.twitter.com\/oQLI7BvYvb<\/a><\/p>\nMartha Matthews<\/h2>\n
Shirley Collie<\/h2>\n
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Connie Koepke<\/h2>\n
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Annie D\u2019Angelo<\/h2>\n