At present, the iconic American jazz trumpeter and bandleader, Doc Severinsen, is married to his fourth wife, Cathy Leach. Before her, he had been married and divorced three times. He was first married to Jane Simpson Frazer, followed by Evonne Nyman, and then Emily Marshall. These marriages have seen the birth of his five children: Nancy, Judy, Cindy, Robin, and Allen.
Beyond his remarkable musical achievements, Severinsen’s family has also garnered the attention of many.
Doc Severinsen is currently married to Cathy Leach
Severinsen and Cathy Leach are a couple. The pair got married sometime in 2020 but have not taken fans through the journey of how and when they crossed paths.
His wife, Leach is a professor emeritus of trumpet at the University of Tennessee. She shares similar interests with Severinsen and it’s possible that their musical interest brought them together. Before they even met, she had performed with Severinsen when he worked with her high school band. She had also served as the former president of The International Trombone Guild.
Despite their age difference, the couple have found common ground and a deep connection. The iconic trumpeter once noted that he doesn’t have enough words to describe his relationship with his wife. All he said was he was thankful she came into his life.
I don’t know how to describe it. But when I pull the covers up under my chin at night and she reaches over and makes sure that I got my arms covered and I’m all settled and everything’s OK — I don’t want to get into religion, but I thank God she came into my life.
The American Trumpeter has been previously married three times
Jane Simpson Frazer
Severinsen’s first marriage was to Jane Simpson Frazer on June 23, 1949. The couple were together for several years before their marriage eventually ended in divorce.
Before Severinsen gave insight into his personal life in the documentary “Never Too Late: The Doc Severinsen Story” (2020) the details of their relationship remained private and the cause of their divorce was not known. However, with the release of the documentary, he noted that they both shared drinking habits and had to go separate ways before it got any worse, especially for their three daughters; Nancy, Cindy, and Judy. According to him, he was their dad, mom, and maid at the time.
Evonne Nyman
In 1964, Severinsen found love again and tied the knot with Evonne Nyman, who made a brief appearance on the 1973 episode of “The Merv Griffin Show.” The pair were together for some years and shared two children; Robbin and Allen.
Sadly, this marriage also ended in divorce, marking the second failed attempt at finding long-lasting love. What led to their separation is not known but from our findings, her husband was having an affair with Emily who would later become his third wife.
Emily Marshall
Severinsen’s third wife was Emily Marshall, a television writer and producer. The pair met while she was working as a secretary for Johnny Carson’s “The Tonight Show” producer Fred de Cordova.
Emily was on the show for about a year before they started dating. At the time, the trumpeter was still officially married to his second wife Evonne who stayed back in New Jersey when the show changed location. Nonetheless, Emily who just got divorced said; she thought he was separated and available.
What started as a friendship between Emily and Severinsen soon blossomed into a relationship that lasted for several years. They lived together for seven years before eventually getting hitched in 1980. Their wedding ceremony was held at the home they shared in Toluca Lake.
The couple were together for nearly 4 decades before parting ways in 2013. According to the records, his nonstop touring through those years brought an end to their marriage
Tragically, Emily Marshall passed away on March 17, 2022, at the age of 79. She succumbed to lung cancer at her home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
As a producer, she was known for works such as “Coming of Age” (1988), “Designing Women” (1986), and “Newhart” (1982). She also appeared in the 2021 PBS documentary “Never Too Late: The Doc Severinsen Story” where she opened up about the trumpeter’s personality and their time together as a couple.
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Don Severinsen is a father of 5 children
Doc Severinsen, the retired trumpeter and bandleader, has not only made a lasting mark on the world of music but has also nurtured a beautiful family. His five children – Nancy, Judy, Cindy, Robin, and Allen – also pursue a reputable career and have their families.
Nancy Severinsen
Nancy, the eldest child of Doc Severinsen, was born in 1952 from his first marriage to Jane Simpson Frazer. Like her father, Nancy also shares musical interests and she’s the only one who took after her father’s career path.
She was part of a vocal group called “Today’s Children”, which often performed alongside her father at several events including the American Invitational horse jumping competition in Tampa in 1974.
Nancy’s talent as a singer has been showcased in various performances, including a rare duet with her father on the Mike Douglas Show in 1967. She has also made appearances in documentaries such as “Never Too Late: The Doc Severinsen Story” (2020).
Judith Dayle Severinsen
Judith Dayle Severinsen, known as Judy, is the second child of Doc. She was born in 1953 and graduated from Southern Seminary Junior College. Since then, nothing has been revealed about her career pursuits.
Meanwhile, in 1973, at the age of 20, Judy tied the knot with her husband Emory Castimore Jr.
Cindy Severinsen
Cindy Severinsen was born in 1955 and she’s 69 years old at the moment. She developed a deep fascination with horses from an early age and quickly got herself involved in the equestrian world like her other siblings.
Robin Severinsen
Robin, born in 1956, is the fourth child of Doc Severinsen. Growing up, all five Severinsen siblings learned to play musical instruments. Robin, in particular, learned the trumpet and the drums and was even active in the school band.
Well, she noted that playing those instruments was only fun for her and not a career path she wanted to pursue. She later forged a path in the equestrian world, showing quarter horses across the country.
Her dedication to the sport led her to study under American Quarter Horse Association Hall of Famer Carol Harris immediately after graduating from high school.
As for her personal life, she is married to her husband Frank Merrill. The pair got married in 1975 and settled in rural Purcell, Oklahoma. They are also proud parents of three children.
Allen Severinsen
Allen, the youngest of the Severinsen children, was born in 1957. He has since become an accomplished equestrian, a path that was encouraged by his parents, who also own thoroughbred racehorses.
Allen’s passion for horse racing led him to train horses, but he faced a setback when one of the horses he trained tested positive for a drug after winning a race, resulting in his suspension from the Bay Meadows track in San Mateo.
Since then not so much about his career pursuits has been established.
Severinsen was raised as an only child in Arlington, Ore
The retired jazz trumpeter was born Carl Hilding Serverinsen on July 7, 1927, and he’s 97 years old at the moment. From the records, he was raised in Arlington, Oregon as the only child of his parents. He was nicknamed Little Doc by his father who was the only dentist in Arlington at the time.
His father, the senior Doc Serverinsen was the one who also spurred his musical interest as he was an amateur violinist. Albeit, he wanted his son to also play violin but his son had an interest in playing trombone.
However, the younger Doc would later settle for cornet since his hands were not long enough for trombone and the musical store in Arlington had none available. He received some training from a neighbor on how to play cornet and his father instructed him to spit out the notes like spitting tobacco which he did.
On the other hand, not so much has been established about his mother Mannie Mae except that she was born sometime in 1898 but unfortunately passed away in 1972. She also encouraged Serverinsen to practice his instruments as a child and even threatened to spank him if he did not.
Severinsen took his practices seriously and has long become a force to reckon with within the music industry with over 30 albums – from big band to jazz-fusion to classical. He is one of the most decorated jazz trumpeters with several awards to his name.
In the past, Severinsen has been hospitalized for pneumonia and heart problems, forcing him to pause momentarily. Nevertheless, his love for music always keeps bringing him to the stage. In 2021, he said;
As long as I’m here, I’m gonna keep jiving. I’m gonna do the shim sham all the way up to my grave,”