Connie Koepke is well-known for her work as an executive producer in a drama documentary, Streetwise. Connie is also popularly known for another animated biographical documentary, Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus.
Besides her works, Connie is also famous for being the third wife of Academy Award-nominated actor and musician, Willie Nelson. Her husband Nelson is most well-known for his music albums Shotgun Willie and Red Headed Stranger. Willie and Connie made headlines initially because of their affair as the former was still married to his second wife at the time they started dating. Later on, the actor divorced his second wife and then married Connie Koepke as his third wife.
So, how was their married life? What was the reason for their divorce? How many children do Connie and Willie share? We have all the answers here. Read the article through to know everything about Connie Koepke.
Connie Koepke Early Life-Who Are Her Parents?
Born in 1938, Connie Koepke is 84 years old as of 2022. Moreover, she celebrates her birthday every year on the 6th of June. She was born and raised in Houston, Texas. Koepke’s father, George Koepke was a World War II veteran. George was born and raised in Germany while his wife was a Hungarian. So, she has Caucasian roots and she is an American by nationality.
She was pretty close to her parents and to this day, she keeps sharing her parents’ pictures on her socials. Besides, she had one brother named Michael Koepke aka Mike. Just like her father, Connie’s brother Mike was also in the military and was deployed in Germany.
Talking about her education, Connie completed her graduation from Galena Park High School in Galena Park, Texas.
Her Brother Died of AIDS
Connie’s brother, Mike died of AIDS in the past. Koepke herself revealed it in her Facebook post back on 31st July 2015. She also revealed that her brother would’ve turned 69 that day.
Connie revealed her younger brother Mike got AIDS from a blood transfusion following a car accident before the blood testing for the virus started. “He is part of me!,” she concluded the post.
What Does She Do For Living? Her Career Endeavors
Koepke has opened up about her works and past experiences on her Facebook profile. As per the details, she is currently self-employed and works at Slow Uvalde Films. Besides, Connie previously executive-produced the 1984 documentary Streetwise.
Moreover, she also worked for Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus, the 2017 animated documentary series. It was created by Mike Judge and it aired on September 22, 2017, on Cinemax.
Connie Koepke’s Relationship with Willie Nelson – Started Dating While He was Still Married to His Second Wife
Koepke is primarily known for her past relationship with famous actor/musician Willie Nelson. Many of you might not know that her ex-husband was still married to his second wife, Shirley Collie when the two started seeing each other.
There is no clear information on when Connie and Willie started dating, but as per their story, it appears to be around the late 1960s. As a matter of fact, the lovebirds also parented their first child, daughter, Paula Carlene Nelson (born October 27, 1969), secretly. Shirley came to know about their affair only after she found a bill from the maternity ward of a Houston hospital charged for the birth of Paula.
Meanwhile, Willie confessed his cheating on his second wife in a joint memoir Me and Sister Bobbie: True Tales of the Family Band, published in 2020. The legendary singer wrote,
“Shirley saw a bill from a Houston hospital. I tried to play it off as no big deal. I told her that I had to go to the hospital for something minor.”
He added,
“Shirley wasn’t buying that for one simple reason: The bill said the charges were for the birth of a baby girl, Paula Carlene, born to a Mrs. Connie Nelson.”
Following that incident, Willie’s then-wife, Collie filed for divorce and they finalized their divorce in 1971. Following his divorce, Willie and Connie tied the knot later that year.
The lovebirds gave birth to their second child, daughter, Amy Lee Nelson after their marriage. Amy was born on 6th July 1973, in Texas.
Their Marriage Dissolved in the Late 80s-What was the Reason for their Divorce?
Connie and Willie remained together for nearly two decades after their marriage in the early ’70s. The pair lived a happily married life with their two kids for nearly 17 years before they went separate ways. Yet again, the reason for Willie’s divorce was infidelity. He was in love with makeup artist Annie Marie D’Angelo which ultimately ended their marriage.
According to People, the veteran singer fell in love with her on the set of the 1986 film Stagecoach which starred the likes of Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, and Waylon Jennings. Nelson wrote in his memoir as:
“I messed up another marriage. My wandering ways were too much for any woman to put up with.”
He added,
“I regret the pain I caused Connie — and Martha and Shirley before her — and have no excuses. But love is love, and in the mideighties I fell head over heels in love with Ann Marie D’Angelo, called Annie. Never had met a woman like her before.”
The ex-couple finalized their divorce in 1988. After the divorce, Willie and D’Angelo continued their romance and got married in 1991.
Did Connie Koepke Remarry After Her First Divorce?
Connie Koepke did not get married again after her first marriage ended. So, she lives a single life up till now.
Her First Daughter, Paula Follows in Her Father’s Footsteps
Connie Koepke’s first daughter, Paula has pursued a career in music. Being the daughter of a musician father, Paula developed a strong passion for music in her early childhood days. In the beginning, she sang a duet, a cover of Have You Ever Seen the Rain? with her dad. Check it out.
Besides, Paula has also released a couple of albums, including Fireflies, Coming Home, Lucky, and Little City. Apart from that, she also worked as a DJ at the Texas radio station KDRP-LP and also hosted the radio program The Paula Nelson Show on Sirius XM Radio.
Connie Koepke Boasts $500k Net Worth!
Connie Koepke reportedly has a net worth of $500k. She earns a decent amount of profit from her production works.
Koepke has worked as an executive producer at Slow Uvalde Films, Pvt. Ltd. Also, she collaborated with various other production groups.
Like Connie, her ex-husband Willie maintains a whopping net worth of $25 million. He owns a ranch called “Luck, Texas” in Spicewood as well as in Maui, Hawaii alongside other celebrity neighbors.
