Glen Campbell And Tanya Tucker: Inside Their Wild And Crazy ‘80s Love Affair
Glen Campbell and Tanya Tucker had a relatively short romance—the country music superstars’ tumultuous relationship lasted only one year in the early 1980s—but the former lovers drummed up enough drama to last a lifetime.
People magazine once dubbed Glen and Tanya “the wildest love affair in show biz.” Indeed, they were the early ’80s version of Blake and Miranda, and nearly 40 years after their high-profile split, Tanya Tucker told Entertainment Tonight she still loves her former flame, despite the fact that he has been married to someone else for the past three decades.
“He will always be the love of my life,” Tucker said of Glen Campbell.
In their happy heyday, the “Delta Dawn” singer said she wanted to just “get away somewhere” with Campbell and “just be healthy and forget about the music end of it.”
“I’d like just to work on being two people in love together,” she told People.
In 1981, Tanya told the celebrity magazine she had hoped to marry Glen, who was 23 years her senior. The red hot couple recorded a hot duet, “Dream Lover,” and were set for a European concert tour. Tanya and Glen were planning to marry on Valentine’s Day, 1982.
The couple juggled good times, like a joint performance for President Reagan, with tabloid rumors that Tucker was so despondent over the relationship that she attempted to slash her wrists. But the singer downplayed the suicide talk.
“Are you kidding?” she said at the time.
“I wouldn’t kill myself over Glen Campbell.”
Instead, Tanya said she and Glen argued over “silly little things.” She also told People her lover was “the horniest man” she ever met.
“Men are supposed to slow down after 40, but it’s just the opposite with Glen,” she dished.
Tanya was certainly pampered like a princess during her time with Campbell. The “Rhinestone Cowboy” singer reportedly bought her jewels and spent $57,000 on her a 22nd birthday bash at L.A.’s Bistro, and he was planning to back Rhinestone Cowgirl, a high-fashion boutique that Tanya was planning to open in Beverly Hills.
Flashback: See Glen Campbell, Tanya Tucker's endearing Christmas duet https://t.co/T27e944C0M pic.twitter.com/9uQL6NYOeG
— RS Country (@RScountry) December 1, 2016
But Tucker also had to deal with Campbell’s insecurities about marriage—he had a lot of baggage, having been hitched three times before—and his lack of trust in her. Their split occurred after Tanya went out to L.A. hotspot Le Dome without Glen and then tried to hide it from him.
“Glen just wouldn’t listen after that,” she revealed.
“He says that if I could lie to him about that, I could lie about other things.”
Tucker was promptly booted from Campbell’s European tour and the lovebirds stopped speaking.
“I would lay down my life for Glen Campbell if I could just make him totally happy for even one day, but he’s not the kind to change his mind,” she told People.
“It’s kinda heartbreaking because you think about what coulda been… I still love him like my own life.”
More than 30 years later, Tanya told the Chicago Tribune she had a lot of regrets about how things played out between her and Glen Campbell.
“I broke up with him and he came back and wanted to fix things up, but I was too cocky,” she admitted.
“I wanted him to try a little harder. One more time would’ve worked, you know?”
Campbell went on to marry Kim Woolen, who has been his wife of 32 years. But as recently as 2015, Tucker said Glen was “just on the rebound” with Woolen.
“She don’t like me, but I have nothing against her,” the singer told the Tribune of Glen’s wife.
“I appreciate her taking care of him all these years, because I know he’s a handful.”
Thinking of you @GlenCampbell on your 81st birthday! My how the time has flown. Sending my love, always. pic.twitter.com/MHXXBmZC5a
— Tanya Tucker (@tanyatucker) April 22, 2017
After Campbell’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, his oldest daughter attempted to set up a FaceTime call between him and his 1980s ex.
“I was talking to him, going, ‘Remember me? I’m Tanya, we used to love each other,” Tucker said.
“Trying to think of anything that would trigger his memory. When I was done, he kissed the phone. So I got that, at least…. It may be all I ever get, but that was wonderful.”
Take a look at the video below to see Glen Campbell and Tanya Tucker performing together.
[Featured Image by AP Images]
