Willie Nelson Shares the Secret to His 31-Year Marriage
Willie Nelson has much to be thankful for these days — he turned 90 years old on April 29, and later this year, he'll be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He will also be celebrating 32 years with his wife, Annie D'Angelo, in September. He credits much of his three-decade-plus romance to laughter.
"As they say, laughter's the best medicine," Nelson tells People. "I've always enjoyed a good joke."
The couple married in 1991 and share two children, Lukas, 34, and Micah, 33. Nelson also has children from other relationships — Lana, 69, Susie, 66, Paula, 53, and Amy, 49. His other two children, Renee and Billy, are deceased.
Nelson met D'Angelo on the set of his film Stagecoach in 1986. The pair tied the knot on Sept. 16, 1991. D'Angelo has been his longest relationship, and the two are quite fond of one another.
"I call her my pet rattler," the country legend shares. "She's my lover, my wife, nurse, doctor, bodyguard."
D'Angelo has stood by her man through all of his highs and lows, including several drug arrests.
"She's been with me through thick and thin — you can't ask for anything more than that!" Nelson told Rolling Stone in 2022.
“I’m not easy to live with. I’m pretty temperamental, you know. I’ve been used to doing things my own way for so long that I’m not interested in any suggestions. There was friction with my other wives. But it seems like Annie and I did okay with each other," he added.
Nelson's 90th birthday party was quite a spectacle. The two-day concert was filled with musical tributes, with artists including George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Sheryl Crow and more taking the stage to perform with and for the country legend.