A new docuseries cataloging Willie Nelson’s life and career drops one bombshell after another about the 90-year-old country singer — among them his refusal to file bankruptcy to the point of a home raid and his shootout with a daughter’s ex-husband.
Then there was the hospital bill that exposed his years-long affair with film producer Connie Koepke.
In 1969, while Nelson was still married to his second wife, singer Shirley Collie, a bill from a Houston hospital arrived in the mail stating that a baby girl named Paula Carlene had been born to a “Mrs. Connie Nelson.” Collie, confronting her then-husband with the bill, immediately demanded to know “who in the hell was Connie Nelson.”
“The truth is, Connie had been my girlfriend for several years before becoming pregnant,” Willie Nelson admits in the four-part series “Willie Nelson & Family,” which premiered in the Indie Episodic Program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and was released Thursday by Paramount+.
Before the bill arrived, Collie was completely unaware her husband had been having an affair. The birth announcement was also the first that Nelson’s eldest daughter, Lana, had heard of Koepke.
Nelson has eight children and has been married four times. He wed first wife Martha Matthews in 1952 and left her for Collie a decade later. Collie and Nelson divorced in 1971, and he married Koepke the same year. He divorced Koepke in 1988 after meeting Annie D’Angelo on a movie set in 1986.
Nelson and D’Angelo have been married since 1991 — his longest relationship yet.
In the docuseries, Nelson admits having regrets about how he treated past partners but says he still cherishes them all.
“I’ve always said there’s no such thing as a former wife,” Nelson says. “Once in your life, a wife never leaves. I regret the pain I caused Connie, and Martha and Shirley before her. I have no excuses. I’d be hard-pressed to define love. I know God’s love is pure, but worldly love is flawed love, and lots of times confused love. When it came to romance, I had a gift for complicating things.”
Nelson’s vulnerability is part of what makes the project so impactful, the series’ executive producer Taylor Sheridan — who also co-created “Yellowstone” — said in a press release.
“Willie’s music formed the soundtrack of my youth. His songwriting helped shape me as a storyteller,” Sheridan said. “Willie is a national treasure and his story will serve as inspiration for all those seeking their own path that leads away from the clouds of compromise. Willie has opened his life to us — warts and all — to serve as a beacon to overcoming failure, realizing dreams, and keeping your compass once the dream is achieved.”
This April, Nelson celebrated his 90th birthday at the Hollywood Bowl with a two-day mega celebration that drew an estimated 18,000 fans each night and featured tribute performances from big music industry names including Neil Young, George Strait, Kris Kristofferson, Sheryl Crow and Dave Matthews.
“I never thought I’d get here,” Nelson told the crowd.
