George Jones ‘Tickled’ Tammy Wynette by Gifting Her a Gold Cadillac for Her Birthday After They Split
After the final split between legendary country couple George Jones and Tammy Wynette, their relationship continued on its rocky course for a little while before they found a happy place.
Though Wynette was “tickled” that Jones gifted her a gold Cadillac for her birthday post-divorce, they also went to court when he fell hundreds of thousands of dollars behind on child support payments for their daughter. And at the time, Wynette said she “didn’t want anything with George Jones” from her past to interfere with her life after their marriage.
George Jones and Tammy Wynette had a rocky marriage and divorce
Jones and Wynette had spouses when they met, but they also had a marketable musical chemistry. Eventually, they acknowledged their romantic feelings for each other, notably during a fight she was having with her soon-to-be second ex-husband.
Jones confessed his love, and Wynette told him his feelings were mutual. They married in 1969, and fans still swoon over their famous love story, but their union was rocky. He admitted that he used alcohol and drugs in excess, and she said he once chased her around their home with a loaded shotgun.
Wynette filed for divorce in 1973, hoping to give Jones the incentive to sober up, and they patched things up for a while. Inevitably, they finalized their divorce in 1975.
George Jones and Tammy Wynette continued their rocky relationship after their split
In a 1978 interview with The Washington Post, Wynette revealed she and Jones continued to have a somewhat tumultuous relationship. They had one daughter during their six-year marriage, and he was to pay child support.
Jones “tickled” the “Stand by Your Man” singer when he gave her a gold Cadillac as a birthday surprise after their divorce. But he fell $360,000 behind in child support, and she “marched him into court,” per the Post.
“It’s nothing really personal,” Wynette explained. “It’s just that I’m very happy for the first time in my life. I want to keep it that way, and I don’t want anything with George Jones and me to interfere with my life now.”
Some people suggested George Jones had involvement in Tammy Wynette’s alleged abduction
After Wynette went public with a story about being abducted from a parking lot in Nashville, police never captured the assailant. Since this happened in the years following her divorce from Jones, some people naturally pointed the finger of guilt at him as the masked gunman.
Perhaps Wynette even considered in the immediate aftermath that Jones could have abducted and assaulted her in a bitter rage. The Post reported she “[squared] her shoulders and [threw] back her chin” after making her statement about refusing to allow “anything with George Jones” to interfere with her life in 1978.
“I want to live as much of a normal life as possible. I guess I’ll just increase security again, if necessary,” she shared, adding she planned to go to the “pistol range” to learn how to shoot accurately and the “right way.”
Notably, her daughters later revealed they believed the abduction story was concocted to cover up alleged abuse at the hands of Wynette’s last husband.
After Wynette died in 1998, Jones released a statement. “Life is too short. In the end, we were very close friends, and now I have lost that friend. And I couldn’t be sadder,” he shared (Rolling Stone, per People).
How to get help: In the U.S., contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788.
