Billie Jean Horton (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Jones; born June 6, 1933) is an American country-music singer-songwriter and former music promoter who is best known for her high profile marriages, first to iconic country musician and singer-songwriter

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

in 1952 until 1953 and subsequently to singer Johnny Horton from 1953 until 1960.

Biography

Horton was the daughter of a police chief from

Bossier City, Louisiana Bossier City ( ) is a city in Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area. In 2020, it had a ...

. She divorced her first husband Harrison Eshleman when she was introduced to Hank Williams by her then-boyfriend, country singer

Faron Young Faron Young (February 25, 1932 – December 10, 1996) was an American country music producer, musician, and songwriter from the early 1950s into the mid-1980s. Hits including "If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')" and " Live Fast, Love Hard, D ...

.John Prime
Merry widow of country legends
, ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'', September 20, 1987. They married in a private ceremony in

Minden, Louisiana Minden is a city and parish seat in Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 13,082. History Minden was established in 1836 by Charl ...

, on October 18, 1952, then repeated their vows before sold-out audiences at two Williams concerts at the Baton Rouge High School gymnasium and the Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was 19 years old at the time of her marriage with Williams. Williams

died Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

from heart failure on

New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...

, 1953, five days before his daughter

Jett Williams Jett Williams (born Antha Belle Jett; January 6, 1953) is an American singer and songwriter. Early life Born Antha Belle Jett, she is the daughter of country music icon Hank Williams and Bobbie Jett (1922–1974), whose brief relationship with H ...

with Bobbie Jett was born. That September, she married country singer Johnny Horton and became important in promoting his career. They had two daughters, Yanina and Melody, and Horton adopted her daughter Jeri Lynn. Horton died on 5 November 1960, in a traffic collision with a truck, widowing Billie Jean a second time. She then worked as a recording artist; her record "Ocean of Tears" hit the country top 40 in 1961. She had a relationship with

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

(while he was still married to his first wife, Vivian Liberto). Later she married insurance executive Kent Berlin, whom she subsequently divorced."She's living off two country music legends"

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

in ''

Gadsden Times '' The Gadsden Times '' is a daily newspaper serving Gadsden, Alabama, and the surrounding area in northeastern Alabama. The Times was owned by Halifax Media Group. Before that, the newspaper was a member of the New York Times Regional Media Gr ...

'', October 1, 1975 In 1971, a judge ruled that despite her divorce from Eshleman not being finalized before her wedding with Williams, she entered the marriage in good faith and thus their union was entitled to a presumption of validity. Horton became known for her energetic efforts on behalf of the reputations and estates of both of her famous husbands. As of 2016, she resides in an assisted-living facility and her three daughters live in Shreveport.

Film depiction

Horton is portrayed by actress

Maddie Hasson Madelaine Hasson (born January 4, 1995) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Willa Monday on Fox's television series ''The Finder''. She also co-starred in the ABC Family series '' Twisted''. She starred in the YouTube Premium s ...

in the 2015 biopic film about

' life titled '' I Saw the Light'', based on ''Hank Williams: The Biography''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horton, Billie Jean 1933 births Living people American women country singers American country singer-songwriters Music promoters People from Bossier City, Louisiana Singer-songwriters from Louisiana Country musicians from Louisiana 21st-century American women