10 Celebs That Kept Their Love Life a Secret Until Their Deaths
The Low-Key Love Life of These Deceased Celebrities
Some celebrities are open books; others live mysterious lives. They may have been public figures throughout their lives, but they protected their love life till their last breath. From influential figures like ex-president John F. Kennedy to talented actor Paul Walker, these famous celebs kept their romance hush-hush. It is a historical fact that "prohibited" love arouses much interest among people. Since these people we'd be discussing in the list are no more, some secrets shall be revealed.
1. Paul Newman
Paul Newman, who died at 83, had a fairytale romance with wife of 50 years. The couple were famously monogamous as the deceased actor once remarked, "I have steak at home. Why should I go out for hamburger?" referencing his undying commitment to wife Joanne Woodward, per BBC. However, in 2009, a year after the actor died, his alleged love affair surfaced in the book Paul Newman: A Life. It revealed he had a wandering eye for journalist Nancy Bacon.
2. John F. Kennedy
Didn't we all adore John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline Kennedy's romance? But the 35th president of the United States wasn't among a faithful lot either. Although some of his affairs were made public in his lifetime, the most famous one was his secret dalliance with Marilyn Monroe. However, it was not until 2003, decades after he died, that his affair with a teenage White House intern surfaced in a biography, An Unfinished Life, per The New York Times.
3. Paul Walker
Paul Walker's tragic death shook everyone in the Hollywood industry, including his fans, who, until he breathed his last, worshipped him. However, apart from being a talented actor, he was also one who kept a good secret. At the time when he died in 2013, his girlfriend Jasmine Pilchard-Gosnell was merely 23. The couple met when she was a teenager (16) and Walker was 33 years old. So, for this reason, the Fast & Furious actor hid it from everyone.
4. Heath Ledger
Although barely two months before Heath Ledger left for his heavenly abode in 2008, he was linked with Australian model Gemma Ward. However, he hid one more secret from the world- his hush-hush romance with Mary-Kate Olsen since 2006. An insider told PEOPLE, "Mary-Kate and Heath were casually dating for three months before Heath's death. They were hooking up, but neither were interested in making it exclusive." But unfortunately, Ledger died an untimely death at age 28.
5. Raymond Burr
Raymond Burr was acting at a time when same-sex relationships were not only forbidden but also criminalized. He was renowned for his character acting, specifically in Ironside. But the actor kept hidden his relationship of 33 years with his partner Robert Benevides. It was publicly revealed only after Burr died. He addressed his unmarried status, "It's true that I could like to be married, and after this series is over, perhaps I can take time to find someone."
6. Leonard Cohen
Canadian singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen had a brief fling with rock 'n' roll star Janis Joplin in 1968; it was one that he never publicly acknowledged or accepted. In 1988, Cohen recalled, "She wasn't looking for me, she was looking for Kris Kristofferson; I wasn't looking for her, I was looking for Brigitte Bardot," per Rolling Stone. "But we fell into each other's arms through some process of elimination." He immortalized his romance in a bittersweet song Chelsea Hotel No. 2.
7. Charles Lindbergh
American aviation and military officer Charles Lindbergh is a controversial figure. A Nazi supporter, he supported Hitler during the World War Two. Keeping up with his controversial personality, Lindbergh was reportedly in a relationship with not one or two but three women- Brigitte Hesshaimer, her sister Marietta Hesshaimer, and the mononymous Valeska. Although he wanted to take this secret with him to his grave, it was during post-war Germany it was revealed he fathered seven children with the three women.
8. Sally Ride
The historical figure Sally Ride, the first-ever American to go into space, had a secret love relationship. The woman who flew on the Challenger in 1983 was among a handful of LGBTQ people whose real identity only transpired after she died in 2012. She suffered pancreatic cancer in 2012, which she had been diagnosed 17 months earlier. Upon her death, it was revealed she had been with her partner, Tam O'Shaughnessy, for 27 years, a friendship that turned romantic.
9. Alan Bates
The British Thespian Alan Bates' career was halted when he was diagnosed with pancreatic surgery in February 2003. He was critically acclaimed for his outstanding performances in Women in Love and Whistle Down the Wind. Despite such an illustrious career, he hid one secret from his fans- he was bisexual. Consequently, he had plenty of secret lovers, including the figure skater John Curry and Chariots of Fire star Ian Charleson, per The Telegraph. His last relationship was with actor Joanna Pettet.
10. Gene Roddenberry
A "misogynist," Gene Roddenberry, the pioneer of small-screen sci-fi, allegedly "used" the young females working on his sets. After the television screenwriter died in 1994, his alleged affair became public. The Star Trek star Nichelle Nichols wrote her memoir Beyond Uhura, detailing her extramarital relationship with Roddenberry, who was married, per Daily Record. Ande Richardson, an assistant for the original Star Trek writer, accused him, "Gene Roddenberry was a sexist, manipulative person who disregarded women," as reported by National Review.
