Martha Matthews is best known as the first wife of country music legend Willie Nelson. Born in Texas in 1936, Martha married Nelson in 1952, when his career was still taking shape, and remained with him until their divorce in 1962. They had three children: Lana, Susie, and William “Billy” Hugh Nelson Jr.
Although she lived largely outside the spotlight, her name continues to appear in accounts of Nelson’s early life because their marriage coincided with a demanding period of his career and family life. Their relationship was marked by financial uncertainty, drinking, infidelity, arguments, and physical confrontations. Much of the surviving detail comes from Nelson’s later recollections and biographies, so some stories about their marriage need to be treated with caution rather than repeated as established fact.
Quick Bio
| Fact | Details |
| Full Name | Martha Jewel Matthews |
| Date of Birth | April 3, 1936 |
| Birthplace | Corsicana, Texas, United States |
| Known For | Being Willie Nelson’s first wife |
| Marriage | Married Willie Nelson in 1952 |
| Divorce | Divorced Willie Nelson in 1962 |
| Children | Lana Nelson, Susie Nelson, and William “Billy” Hugh Nelson Jr. |
| Later Marriages | Mickey Scott and Charlie Andrews |
| Date of Death | November 29, 1989 |
| Place of Death | Austin, Texas, United States |
| Age at Death | 53 |
| Cause of Death | Liver failure |
| Burial Place | Rosemound Cemetery, Waco, Texas |
Early Life and Background
Martha Jewel Matthews was born on April 3, 1936, in Corsicana, Texas. Genealogical records about Martha Matthews identify her parents as W. T. Mathews and Etta Bass. Records from her later life also connect her with Waco and Austin, placing much of her story within Texas.
She was still very young when she met Willie Nelson. Later accounts describe Matthews working at a drive-in restaurant, where she became acquainted with Nelson while he was 19 and trying to find his path as a musician. At that stage, he had not yet become the internationally recognized performer associated with the Nelson name.
Her relationship with Nelson developed during a period when he was taking different jobs and pursuing music at the same time. His professional future was uncertain, and the couple entered married life before the career success that would eventually change his circumstances.
Marriage to Willie Nelson
Martha Matthews married Willie Nelson in 1952. Some biographical accounts place the wedding in October, while broader records identify 1952 as the beginning of the marriage. The couple remained together for ten years before divorcing in 1962.
Her early married life was shaped by Nelson’s efforts to support a growing household while developing his career. He worked as a disc jockey, performed in clubs, wrote songs, and pursued opportunities in the music business. The family also moved between Texas locations as his work changed.
During the marriage, the couple welcomed three children. Lana was born in 1953, Susie in 1956, and William “Billy” Hugh Nelson Jr. in 1958. By the end of the decade, Nelson was balancing fatherhood with songwriting and performances while trying to establish a stable professional future.
Martha Matthews’ household was also troubled by serious personal problems. Nelson later described the marriage as highly volatile, and biographical accounts discuss alcohol abuse, infidelity, heated arguments, and physical violence. Those details have become central to the public narrative surrounding her’ relationship, although they do not provide a complete picture of either person’s private life.
A Turbulent Family Relationship
The most dramatic stories involving Martha Matthews have been repeated for decades, particularly accounts of violent arguments. Nelson later recalled an incident in which Matthews tied him to a bed and struck him with a broom after an argument. Other versions of the story have circulated with different details, which is why it is better to rely on accounts attributed to Nelson rather than present every retelling as established fact.
Biographical accounts consistently describe the marriage as unstable, and it eventually broke down. Nelson’s career was also changing during these years. His songwriting began receiving wider attention, and songs recorded by other performers helped establish him as a respected writer before his own later rise as a major recording artist.
For Martha Matthews, the divorce in 1962 marked the end of the couple’s decade-long marriage. It also separated her later life from the period in which she was most closely connected to Nelson’s developing career.
Their Three Children
The family created during Martha Matthews’ marriage is the strongest lasting connection between Matthews and Nelson. The martha matthews children were Lana, Susie, and William “Billy” Hugh Nelson Jr., each of whom became part of the broader story of the Nelson family.
Lana Nelson, born in 1953, is the eldest. She became involved in creative projects connected with her father and has been associated with his film and family activities. Martha’s connection to Nelson’s career through Lana gave her a continuing place within the public history of the family, although Lana has maintained a lower profile than her father.
Susie Nelson, born in 1956, later offered her own perspective on growing up in the family. She wrote about her experiences in her 1987 book, Heart Worn Memories: A Daughter’s Personal Biography of Willie Nelson. Her account is significant because it provides a daughter’s perspective on a household that had already become a subject of public interest through Nelson’s career.
William “Billy” Hugh Nelson Jr., born in 1958, followed his father into music. He recorded gospel and country material and performed with Nelson. Billy died on December 25, 1991, at the age of 33. His death occurred two years after his mother’s passing and became another major loss for the family.
Together, Lana, Susie, and Billy remain the three children from Matthews’ marriage to Nelson and an important part of the family’s history. Their lives provide the clearest link between their mother’s private history and the public record surrounding Willie Nelson.
Life After the Divorce
The end of the marriage did not mark the end of Matthews’ family life. After divorcing Nelson, she later married Mickey Scott and Charlie Andrews. Public records contain considerably less information about these later relationships than about her years with Nelson.
This part of Martha Matthews’ life receives considerably less attention than her years with Nelson. That imbalance is largely a result of the different public paths taken by the former couple. Nelson became a major figure in American music, while Matthews remained outside the entertainment industry. As a result, later biographical references tend to focus on her connection to Nelson rather than documenting her everyday life.
Her life continued beyond the 1962 divorce. She remarried and remained connected to her family while Nelson’s career moved into a new phase.
Martha Matthews and Willie Nelson’s Music
Nelson’s marriage to Martha Matthews overlapped with the years in which he was developing his reputation as a songwriter. By the late 1950s and early 1960s, his compositions were gaining recognition, including songs such as “Crazy,” “Hello Walls,” and “Pretty Paper.”
Because their marriage was so turbulent, later writers have often attempted to connect particular songs directly to Matthews. Some descriptions also claim that songs such as “Half a Man” and “I Gotta Get Drunk” were products of the relationship. However, a careful biography should not treat every emotional song from that period as a confirmed portrait of Matthews unless a reliable source specifically establishes the connection.
The relationship formed part of Nelson’s personal experience during his formative songwriting years, and he later discussed their marriage openly. However, there is not enough evidence to connect every song from that period directly to Matthews.
Her Name in Historical Records
Her name is also frequently written as Martha Matthews Nelson because of her decade-long marriage to Willie Nelson, although later records identify her by names connected with her subsequent marriages.
This distinction is useful when researching historical records. Search results can combine information about different people who share the name Martha Matthews, especially when databases use incomplete family or marriage details. Matching dates, relationships, and locations is therefore important before treating a record as belonging to Nelson’s former wife.
Was She a Doctor?
No. Martha Matthews, the woman who married Willie Nelson, was not the physician sometimes associated with the name Martha S. Matthews.
A different Martha S. Matthews, MD, is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon associated with Cooper Medical School of Rowan University in New Jersey. She has an entirely separate professional and biographical history. The similarity in names can cause confusion in search results, but there is no basis for treating the physician and Nelson’s former wife as the same person.
Keeping the two identities separate is particularly important because medical profiles can otherwise become mixed into articles about the country singer’s family.
Her Death and Status
No. is martha matthews still alive is a common search question. Martha Matthews, Willie Nelson’s first wife, died in 1989.
She died on November 29, 1989, in Austin, Texas, at the age of 53. Records identify liver failure as the cause of death. her passing came 27 years after her divorce from Nelson and before many of the career milestones that would later define his legacy.
Her son Billy died in 1991, which is one reason the two deaths can sometimes become confused in online summaries. They were separate events: Matthews died in 1989, while Billy died two years later.
Did She Die in 1997?
The search phrase martha matthews willie nelson died 1997 contains an incorrect date. Matthews did not die in 1997; her documented date of death was November 29, 1989.
The 1997 date therefore should not appear in a factual timeline of her life. It is also important not to confuse that year with events from Willie Nelson’s career or with the later death of Billy Nelson in 1991. Once the family dates are placed in chronological order, the discrepancy becomes clear.
Final Years and Death
Detailed information about Martha Matthews’ final years is limited. She was not a public figure, and there is no extensive archive of interviews or profiles covering her life during the 1970s and 1980s. What is known about her final period is limited, but the available details establish the main events of those years.
She remained connected to her family in Texas and was living in the state when she died in Austin. Genealogical records also preserve information about her children and other surviving relatives.
The death of Martha was recorded as resulting from liver failure. Searches about martha matthews willie nelson death generally refer to the same documented event: her death in Austin on November 29, 1989, from liver failure.
She was buried at Rosemound Cemetery in Waco, Texas.
What Her Death Records Show
The phrase martha matthews obituary can suggest that a detailed newspaper obituary is readily available, but the surviving public material is more limited. Genealogical records provide the essential information surrounding her death, including the date, location, age, cause of death, family connections, and burial details.
Those records also identify her through the names associated with her later marriages. This matters because short online biographies often stop at her divorce from Nelson and leave the impression that little happened afterward.
Her known timeline runs from her birth in Texas in 1936 and marriage to Nelson in 1952 to their 1962 divorce, her later remarriages, and her death in 1989. Beyond those established facts, comparatively little about her private final years is publicly documented.
Does She Have a Wikipedia Page?
Martha Matthews wikipedia searches can be confusing because she does not have a dedicated Wikipedia biography; most references to her appear within material about Willie Nelson. Her connection to Nelson is instead included within biographical material about the country singer and his personal life.
For information specifically about Matthews, researchers have to look beyond Wikipedia to biographical databases and genealogical records. IMDb preserves basic biographical details, while genealogy resources contain records relating to her birth, marriages, family and death.
The distinction is important because several other people named she appear in public databases. A search result with the same name is not automatically evidence about Nelson’s former wife. Dates, family relationships, and locations need to match before the information can be attributed to her.
A Clear Timeline
Martha Matthews’ life follows a straightforward chronology. She was born on April 3, 1936, in Texas. She met Willie Nelson while both were young, married him in 1952, and had three children during their ten-year marriage.
Their relationship ended in divorce in 1962. she later married again and lived outside the public world that increasingly surrounded Nelson. She died in Austin on November 29, 1989, at 53, with liver failure recorded as the cause. She was buried in Waco.
Her place in Willie Nelson’s history comes from the years they shared, the children they raised, and the difficult circumstances surrounding their marriage. At the same time, the limited record of her later life is a reminder that her story should not be reduced entirely to her connection with a famous musician.
Conclusion
Martha Matthews was a private Texas woman whose place in country music history came through her first marriage to Willie Nelson. Their decade together included the birth of three children and coincided with the early stages of Nelson’s rise as a songwriter and performer.
After the divorce, she built a life away from the entertainment spotlight and later remarried. She died in 1989 at the age of 53, leaving behind children and other family members who continued to connect her name with the Nelson family.
Some accounts emphasize the most dramatic parts of her marriage, while the established details provide a broader picture of her life. They cover her birth, marriage, family, later years, and death while leaving many private aspects of her life unknown.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who was Martha Matthews?
Martha Matthews was Willie Nelson’s first wife, whom he married in 1952. They had three children before divorcing in 1962.
2. When did she marry Willie Nelson?
She married Willie Nelson in 1952, when his music career was still developing. Their marriage lasted for ten years before ending in divorce.
3. How many children did she have?
The couple had three children: Lana Nelson, Susie Nelson, and William “Billy” Hugh Nelson Jr. They remained an important part of the Nelson family history.
4. Is she still alive?
No. She died on November 29, 1989, in Austin, Texas, at the age of 53. Her recorded cause of death was liver failure.
5. When did the marriage end?
The marriage ended in divorce in 1962 after a decade together. Accounts of the relationship describe serious personal and family difficulties during its later years.
6. What happened after the divorce?
After divorcing Nelson, she later married Mickey Scott and Charlie Andrews. Information about her later life is considerably more limited than details about her years with Nelson.
7. What was her cause of death?
Martha Matthews died from liver failure on November 29, 1989. She was living in Texas at the time and died in Austin at age 53.
8. Did she have a Wikipedia page?
She does not have a dedicated Wikipedia biography. Most online references appear within material covering Willie Nelson, his family, and his early personal life.
9. Was she a doctor?
No. Martha Matthews, Willie Nelson’s former wife, was not the physician Martha S. Matthews, MD. The two women had entirely separate personal and professional histories.
10. Where was she buried?
She was buried at Rosemound Cemetery in Waco, Texas. Her burial location is among the known details surrounding her final years.
