Real-Life Love
What Happened to ‘Bachelorette’ Star Emily Maynard’s Late Fiancé Ricky Hendrick?
Emily Maynard became a beloved member of Bachelor Nation during Brad Womack‘s season of The Bachelor, which then led Emily to be chosen as the lead of The Bachelorette Season 8. Before her time on The Bachelor, Emily had been in love with Ricky Hendrick, the son of Hendrick Motorsports boss Rick Hendrick. Unfortunately, their love story came to a tragic end in 2004.
Emily and Ricky’s 20-year-old daughter, Ricki Hendrick, recently announced she was pregnant with her first child. Given the exciting news, you might need a refresher on Emily’s former love and Ricki’s father. Scroll down to learn more about Ricky Hendrick, his relationship with Emily, and their daughter.
What happened to Ricky Hendrick?
Ricky was a rising star in the NASCAR world and a partial owner of his father’s company. Ricky was killed in a plane crash on October 29, 2004. He was 24 years old. The plane, which was on its way to the Martinsville Speedway for the Subway 500, crashed on Bull Mountain in Virginia. The cause of the crash was due to pilot error in heavy fog.
Other victims of the crash included Hendrick Motorsports president and Ricky’s uncle, John Hendrick, as well as his daughters, Jennifer and Kimberly Hendrick, company general manager Jeff Turner, chief engine builder Randy Dorton, executive Joe Jackson, helicopter pilot Scott Lathram, and pilots Richard Tracy and Elizabeth Morrison.
“You blame yourself a lot. Then you blame the sport. Then you blame everything,” Rick told ESPN a decade after the crash. “The first thing I always do is … if I had been on that plane that day, Ricky wouldn’t have been on it. We wouldn’t have taken that plane. You start playing [mind] games with yourself.”
Emily paid tribute to Ricky with a heartfelt message on the 20th anniversary of his death in 2024. “It’s so strange to have a specific marker in time that completely changed my life and soul forever,” she began. “I look at pictures and don’t even recognize that girl anymore, no matter how much I wish I could. In one hand I feel like I’ve changed so much and then in the other, that I’ve been paralyzed at age 18 forever.”
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She continued, “I have so many things I can’t wait to tell him. I can’t wait for him to meet my Tyler. I know they’ll love each other and that Ricky is so grateful for how well he has taken care of his girls. Thank you, God, for letting me be a part of his life and for allowing me the gift of being loved by him.”
Is Ricki the only child of Ricky Hendrick?
Just days after the plane crash, Emily, who was Ricky’s fiancée at the time, found out she was pregnant with their child. Emily gave birth to Josephine Riddick “Ricki” Hendrick on June 29, 2005. Ricki is the only child of the late Ricky Hendrick.
In her book, Emily opened up about losing Ricky. “For days after the crash, I wish I’d died, too,” Emily said. However, the birth of their daughter gave her a renewed sense of hope. “I just kept on looking forward to June 29th because that was the day I got a piece of Ricky back,” Emily admitted.
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She revealed to People that the “first couple of years” of her life as a single mom were “so hard.” She added, “I didn’t know if I was coming or going. I was lost. I went to therapists but I knew nothing they would tell me was going to make me feel better. Mine was an issue of the heart that I needed to work out myself. And I knew that time would do that.”
Were Emily Maynard and Ricky Hendrick married?
Emily and Ricky met when she was 16 and he was 21. When she graduated from high school, Emily moved in with Ricky in Charlotte, North Carolina. They got engaged when she was 18, but their happily ever after was cut short just months later when he was killed. They never got the chance to marry.
Who is Emily Maynard married to now?
Emily is married to Tyler Johnson, whom she met before she was the star of The Bachelorette. Emily got engaged to Jef Holm at the end of her Bachelorette journey, but their relationship didn’t last. Emily and Tyler eventually reconnected and married in June 2014. They have five children together: Jennings, born in July 2015, Gibson, born in September 2016, Gatlin, born in November 2017, Nola Belle, born in October 2020, and Jones, born in August 2022.
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In a twist of fate, Emily’s husband and her late fiancé share the same birthday: April 2. “On our first date when Tyler told me his birthday I felt in that moment, as crazy as it sounds, God sitting in Heaven smiling at me,” Emily wrote on Instagram in 2018. “Now, 5 years later, he is absolutely nothing short of the best thing that’s ever happened in my life. Tyler, to try to put into words how special you are would be a disservice to you, but I hope you never doubt how much joy and love you bring into all of our lives. I pray every day our kids will have your heart. And looks. 🙂 I love you to all the stars and back. HAPPY BIRTHDAY @mtylerjohnson!”
