John Denver Cut His Marital Bed in Half With a Chainsaw During His Divorce From His 1st Wife
John Denver topped the charts with “Annie’s Song,” a 1974 single about his then-wife, Annie Martell. It’s considered one of the most romantic songs ever, but Denver and Martell’s marriage ended acrimoniously. Did you know the soft-spoken country singer once took a chainsaw to the couple’s bed?
John Denver’s first marriage to Annie Martell included a brief separation
Denver and Martell met in 1966 at a Minnesota concert and started dating shortly after. They tied the knot a year later and settled in Edina, Minnesota. A few years later, they moved to Aspen, Colorado, where Denver resided until his death. However, as the singer’s career started taking off, his marriage to Martell crumbled.
In a 1979 People interview, Martell admitted she felt “insecure” in their relationship and overwhelmed by her husband’s newfound fame. The pair even separated briefly, with a saddened Denver fleeing to Switzerland.
“It was only six days, but felt like three months,” Martell recalled. “I would get up at 4 am and start crying and continue until I went to sleep that night.”
After a long-distance phone call, Martell made it “clear that I loved him totally. What it came down to is that love is unconditional. We’ve had some bad times, but now we keep talking.”
John Denver’s love for his children
The two reconciled. Then, the couple adopted two kids, Zachary and Anna, after Denver received the news that he could not have children.
“I feel an incredible bond with the women who gave birth to them,” Martell explained to People. “But they are totally our children.” Denver chimed in, asking, “How did we ever live without those little children? We were always meant to be together. It enhances everything.”
The singer-songwriter continued, “At times, I’ve got a really big ego, but I’ll tell you the best thing about me. I’m some guy’s dad; I’m some little gal’s dad. When I die, if they say I was Annie’s husband and Zachary John and Anna Kate’s father, boy, that’s enough for me to be remembered by. That’s more than enough.”
Why did John Denver cut his bed in half with a chainsaw?
However, the marriage didn’t last. The couple ultimately divorced in 1982. Denver said the demands of his career drove them apart; Martell claimed they were both too young to handle a relationship while dealing with Denver’s career success.
While Denver’s mellow music made many believe he was equally easygoing in real life, a story about their breakup shows how he could have a bad temper. While the pair split up their property in 1982, Denver allegedly became abusive, almost choking Martell and even using a chainsaw to cut their bed in half.
John Denver’s second marriage and divorce
In 1988, Denver wed his girlfriend of two years, Australian actor Cassandra Delaney. The couple separated in 1991 and split up in 1993. The singer didn’t look back fondly on his marriage to Delaney.
Writing about the relationship in his autobiography “Take Me Home,” Denver said, “Before our short-lived marriage ended in divorce, she managed to make a fool of me from one end of the valley to the other.”
The country singer died in 1997 after crashing a small plane he was test-flying. Denver was the plane’s only occupant. He was 53 years old.
