Country Couples
Who Is Alan Jackson’s Wife? Inside the Country Legend’s Marriage to Longtime Love Denise
Alan Jackson will be returning to the Academy of Country Music Awards stage on Thursday, May 8, as a performer. The legendary country singer has been in the music business for decades, and he’s had his wife, Denise Jackson, by his side the whole time.
The two got married in on December 15, 1979, and despite a brief separation, have maintained their relationship throughout his years in the spotlight. Scroll down to learn more about the pair’s marriage, family, and more.
How did Alan Jackson meet his wife?
Alan and Denise are high school sweethearts. They both attended Newnan High School in Newnan, Georgia, although he was two years older than her.
When the couple tied the knot, Alan was 21 and Denise was still a teenager.
Is Alan Jackson still with his wife?
Yes, the two are going strong. They celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary in December 2024, which Alan acknowledged on his Instagram account. (His page is run by his team.)
The two have supported one another through health issues over the years. In 2010, Denise was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. She underwent two months of radiation and chemotherapy before being declared cancer-free.
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Alan announced his Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease diagnosis in 2021, although he had been diagnosed 10 years earlier. The illness is a nerve condition that affects arm and leg muscles and can often lead to muscle weakness.
How long were Alan Jackson and his wife separated?
Alan and Denise separated for four months in early 1998. They came to the decision after Christmas 1997. “I think Alan got to a point after 18 years where he thought, ‘We both deserve so much more than this, and we haven’t been able to fix it yet, and I don’t think it’s fixable,'” Denise said on Christian Broadcasting Network. “So that was really the turning point where he said, ‘Enough is enough. I’m leaving.'”
Their reconciliation happened when he came to visit the kids four months later and asked Denise on a date. However, amid their attempt to make amends, she learned that he had been unfaithful, but they were still able to work things out.
In 2007, Denise published her book, It’s All About Him: Finding the Love of My Life, which dove into the relationship, including the pair’s separation and struggles with infidelity.
“He knew why I wanted to write the book and that it was important for me to admit that he had been unfaithful, because one of the main messages of the book is about forgiveness and how healing can come when we work through problems and infidelities,” Denise told People.
Does Alan Jackson have kids?
Alan and Denise have three daughters: Mattie, born in 1990; Ali, born in 1993; and Dani, born in 1997. They also have two grandchildren. Ali gave birth to son Jackson in December 2022, while Mattie welcomed son Wesley in June 2024.
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Mattie married Connor Smith in 2023 following the death of her first husband, Ben Selecman, in 2018. He died while helping a woman onto a boat in 2018. He fell off the dock, hit his head, and sustained injuries that ultimately resulted in his death. Ali’s husband is Sam Bradshaw, whom she met through Selecman. They tied the knot in 2021.
While Ali and Dani lead relatively private lives, Mattie hosts a podcast called In Joy Life and wrote the book Lemons on Friday: Trusting God Through My Greatest Heartbreak following Selecman’s death.
