Who Is Gladys Knight’s Husband? Know About Her Previous Marriages

Gladys Maria Knight is an American singer, actress, and businesswoman who is also known as the “Empress of Soul.” Knight won seven Grammy Awards, and her family group Gladys Knight & the Pips had hits in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The group included her brother Merald “Bubba” Knight and cousins William Guest and Edward Patten.

She has also had an interesting life outside of her career. Knight has been married four times. She is now married to William McDowell. In 2001, she and William tied the knot. Knight also has three children from her previous marriages. Continue reading the post to know all about her current marriage and past relationships.

Gladys Knight Is Now Happily Married To William McDowell

Gladys Knight is happily married to her fourth husband, William McDowell, with whom she has been together for 21 years despite their age gap. Gladys said that she knew the key to her success was keeping her faith in love. She’s stated they turn to God every time they face a tough patch and it keeps their love strong and healthy.

She told America’s Closer magazine: “You have to always know that the Lord is going to find a solution. We put him first. If you’ve got a problem and also don’t know how to do something, you have to look up. That’s how we get through it .”

Now, the singer is happily married and having the best time of her life.

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Know All About Gladys Knight’s Previous Marriages

James Newman

Knight’s first husband was James Newman, and they were married from 1960 to 1973. Knight was only 16 when she got pregnant and married Newman AKA “Jimmy.” The Chicago Tribune stated that even though the pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, the couple went on to have two more children together. Newman was a musician who got into drugs and left his family after only four years of being married. Knight stopped touring so she could focus on raising their kids. She and Newman split up, but she didn’t get divorced from him until years later.

Barry Hankerson

Knight got married to Barry Hankerson, a famous music producer who worked with Aaliyah. From 1974 to 1979, they were married for five years, but it ended in a custody battle over their son, Shanga. Knight became addicted to gambling while Shanga was growing up. According to AJC, financial problems may have been the main reason Knight and Hankerson broke up.

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Les Brown

At last, after Hankerson, Knight married Les Brown, but only after she spent some time getting better. They got married in 1995, but in 1997 the singer got divorced from her husband. Knight told SFGate in 2012 about her marriages and general life challenges, “I know that those challenges that come up from time to time in life are our little learning tools, our little steppingstones.” She said, “We need those problems in our lives because I know one thing: I’m a much better person because of them. And I’m not even mad at anybody.”