- Billie Jean Horton is an American-country musician known for marrying and becoming the widow of legendary country musicians, Hank Williams and Johnny Horton
- The mother of 3 has been married 4 times and had a relationship with country musician, Johnny Cash while he was still married to his ex, John Carter Cash
- Although the 90-year-old has been married numerous times and has dated several men, she doesn’t have a husband currently.
Billie John may have been a highly established American country singer and songwriter, but her fame is also attached to her famous love life as the widowed wife of country musicians Hank Williams and Johnny Horton.
While her first famous husband, William, was known for Move it on Over, Mind Your Own Business, and Gold Cold Heart. her other husband Johhny was equally famous for his songs, Honky Tonk Mind and Whispering Pines. On her own, she created some acclaimed songs and Extended Plays such as Ocean of Tears, Here Comes Trouble, Johnny Came Lately, and Angel Hands.
Her Life as a Musician and Away From Her Relationships
Billie Jean Jones was born on June 6, 1933, in Louisiana as the daughter of a police chief.
She led her earliest life away from fame until she started to draw attention in different ways, including music.
Billie released no fewer than 7 singles and EPs such as:
What to Know About Her 2 Marriages to Famous People and How They Ended
She Was Married to Singer Hank Williams for Less Than a Year
In 1952 when she was 19 years old, Billie became married to Hank Williams (then 29 years old) after his first failed marriage in 1952 to his first wife, musician, Audrey Shapard.
Their wedding was a highly publicized one in Louisiana. It was held in 2 public ceremonies at the New Orleans Civic Auditorium, where 14,000 seats were sold. Prior to that, however, they had a quiet one.
Nonetheless, the marriage did not last long until it came face to face with hurdles, especially as a result of Hank’s relationship with Bobbie Jett. The woman in question was already in the life of the singer while he was still married to Shapard and she also had his daughter, Jett Williams in 1953.
Another hurdle faced in the marriage was the question of whether the union was legal. To this effect, Hank’s mother and his first wife pursued the case for years in a bid to get it pronounced invalid.
According to a Wikipedia report on Hank, the marriage was pronounced invalid since he had not finalized his divorce with his first wife and Billie was also legally married to her first husband, Harrison Eshleman.
Barely a year into their marriage in 1953, Hank died from a heart attack on New Year’s Day (January 1, 1953).
She Was Married to Johnny Horton a Few Months After Hank Died
In September 1953, about 9 months after the death of Williams, Billie Jean (then 20 years old) got married to another country music legend, Johnny Horton who was at the time, 28 years old.
The marriage was the 2nd for Johnny while it became the 3rd of Billie.
She was praised for contributing to the success of Jonny’s music career and in their private lives, they became parents of 2 girls.
The marriage survived 7 years until November 5 1960 when Johhny died in a traffic collision with a truck.
The 2 Other Men Billie Jean Horton Married
The first marriage of the country singer was to a man named Harrison Eshleman while her last known marriage was to Kent Berlin.
Both marriages ended in divorce. The first divorce came right after she was introduced to Hank Williams by her then-boyfriend, country singer Faron Young.
On the aspect of her 4th marriage, she was married to Kent, an insurance executive in 1968. The marriage did not last forever as it ended in divorce due to her travelings and court cases that were a result of her portrayal as a harlot in the movie, Your Cheatin’ Heart.
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Billie Jean Horton Dated Other Famous Country Musicians
In the 1950s, Billie dated the aforementioned American country music producer and musician, Faron Young who died in 1996 after making several acclaimed albums such as Hello Walls (1961), Country Dance Favorites (1964), and This is Faron Young (1959).
The relationship between the 2 singers lasted a short period before it ended after she met Hanks.
In addition, following the death of her 3rd husband, Johnny, Billie had an affair with another music legend, Johnny Cash who was also her husband’s friend.
At the time, Cash was married to his first wife, Vivian Liberto. The relationship was also brief and it was before her 4th marriage.
How Many Children Does Billie Have From Her Famous Relationships and Marriages?
Billie is a mother of 3 daughters. She had her first daughter, Jeri Lynn before she became famous for being in the lives of country musicians. The daughter was later adopted by her 3rd husband, Johnny.
While her marriage with Hank did not result in any child, she became a mother of 2 daughters, Yanina Horton and Melody Horton from her marriage to Johhny Horton.
Where is She Now After Her Famous Love Life with Musicians?
According to a Wikipedia report about Billie, she was living in an assisted-living facility while her 3 daughters were living in Shreveport as of 2016.
As regards her career, she stopped going on tours after she became married to Horton in order to focus on home and family even after starting music as Mrs. Hank Williams.
Nonetheless, she returned to music following Johhny’s death and shepherded his royalties and song catalog.
Also, her story with Hank was told through a biopic, I Saw the Light in 2015. The film has contributed to bringing her back into the limelight.
She was also involved in several legal battles and won most of them. She won a case in a right to royalties or proceeds from his estate against a lady that claimed to be Hank’s illegitimate.
Also, she won a case to stop the distribution of Your Cheatin’ Heart that portrayed her as a harlot.
Billie Jean Horton may have become famous for her marriages but did not relent in pursuing a career for herself as a singer. Currently 90 years old, she still has her name blazing as a woman who has immortalized her name through her works as a musician and through her marriage. While there may be thoughts as to whether she may still have famous men in her life in terms of romance, there is no known knowledge. Yet, she may remain unmarried due to her age.
