Merle Haggard's former wife was Bonnie Owens Merle Haggard's former wife is Debbie Parret Merle Haggard's former wife is Leona Williams Merle Haggard's former wife was Bill Witherspoon. Haggard was frequently mistaken to be his kid’s grandpa instead of their father. He wasn’t a country star at this point and got into some trouble with the law, but then he started singing in bars and scored his first hit, “Sing a Sad Song.”. What happened to Merle Haggard's first wife? A musician in her own right, she toured with her brother Marty as Marty and Dana Haggard … Bonnie Owens, a cocktail waitress-turned-singer who was married at different times to country music giants Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, died Monday in Bakersfield after a … Learn more about Merle Haggard’s marriages below! © 2021 MobSoc Media LLC. She was a co-writer on his hit song "Today I Started Loving You Again" and a great friend to Haggard over the years. Bonnie Owens: Two years after Haggard’s first hit in 1963, he married Bonnie Owens, who was recently divorced from fellow country singer Buck Owens. It was 2004, and Merle was 66. He finally found his true love after years of looking. In 1965 they married, Haggard’s first marriage, to Leona Hobbs, having ended in divorce. Bonnie Owens, a singer whose distinctive background vocals played a major role in Merle Haggard's career, died Monday (April 24) in Bakersfield, Calif., following a lengthy illness at age 76. Merle passed away on April 6, 2016, his 79th birthday, due to complications from pneumonia. Another short-lived marriage for The Hag was fourth wife Debbie Parret. "Once he got mad because someone said he looked like Merle Haggard. His marriage to Theresa was his longest marriage (23 years). Bonnie Owens: Two years after Haggard's first hit in 1963, he married Bonnie Owens, who was recently divorced from fellow country singer Buck Owens. He had married his first wife, Leona Hobbs, in 1956 and just when life seemed as if it was fairly normal, Haggard got himself arrested for one of his car “borrowing” schemes and landed in the Ventura County Jail for a year. According to the musician, Bonnie was the person who helped him to make his big breakthrough in the music industry. A short while after divorcing Leona, the singer married fellow singer Bonnie Owens. From 1956 to 1964, they were together for eight years and had four children, Dana, Marty, Kelli and Noel. Afterward, she went backstage to see his guitarist, Even though there was a 20 year age gap between the couple, that didn't stop them from staying together for 23 years until Haggard's death on his 79th birthday in 2016. She toured with her brother Marty as Marty and Dana Haggard and the Driftwood Band, and for some time sang with her father's band, The Strangers. The couple … They really were better off as friends and Owens remained a backup singer in Haggard's band until she passed away in 2006. They stayed together for eight years and had four children: Dana, Marty, Kelly, and Noel. Haggard's fifth and final wife, Theresa Ann Lane, was the end of the road for Haggard. Another short-lived marriage for The Hag was fourth wife Debbie Parret. They divorced in 1991. Merle married his first wife, Leona Hobbs when he was only 19 years old, and the couple ended up having four children together. Haggard's ex-wife dies. But then he started showing interest in Leona Williams, and he went back and forth between the two women. Check out the stories behind Merle Haggard's marriages here. His family was not well-off, and they lived in a refurbished boxcar in California. Ben Haggard… Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys dropped by to pick. *We will not share your personal information or publish content without your permission. When Merle married Bonnie Owens, the family reunited. Dana Haggard, 61, was born in 1957 to Merle and his first wife, Leona Hobbs. In fact, he said marrying her was the best decision he made. The marriage lasted from 1956 until 1964 during which the couple was blessed with four children. Merle Haggard was born on April 6, 1937 in Bakersfield, California, USA as Merle Ronald Haggard. Leona Hobbs: Merle Haggard married Leona Hobbs at the age of 19. This article was originally published in March of 2020. She is credited with co-writing his song “Thank You For Keeping My House,” which was on his Chill Factor album. As the children were growing up, they were exposed to some of the most amazing music of the time. In his teens, he managed to begin an acting career, was in a TV series, and was involved in the formative stages of a Henry Fonda movie. However, Merle had eyes for her and asked his guitarist to go to the bus to get a guitar, and when Clint came back, Haggard wouldn’t let him back into the room. He formed a band, the Strangers, and signed with Capitol Records. Merle Haggard. Theresa Ann Lane: Their love story starts with Lane’s mother, who convinced her daughter to see Haggard perform. Seeing Johnny Cash perform at the prison inspired him to not only join the prison band, but also to pursue music after his release. In the early 1960s, Haggard recorded duets with Bonnie Owens, who later became his wife, for Tally Records, scoring a minor hit with "Just Between the Two of Us". We're doing a deep dive into all of the leading ladies of The Hag's life, starting with his first wife before he was a country star. Fellow country singer Bonnie Owens was wife number two for Haggard. 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