Stevie Nicks’ romantic life has been a huge part of her career as a musician. She’s penned countless songs about her chaotic love affair with fellow Fleetwood Mac bandmate Lindsey Buckingham, and much of her music explores the notion of love, aging, and relationships. However, not everything from her past has been adventurous. Nicks has experienced quite a bit of genuine heartbreak in her life, one instance being the death of her childhood best friend, Robin, and the subsequent decision to marry (and then divorce) her widower.
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Nicks and Anderson wed in the midst of very tragic circumstances in 1983. Just a few months prior, Robin had died of leukemia after being diagnosed with the cancer only weeks earlier. The tragedy was exacerbated by the fact that Robin was pregnant at the time. She had to deliver the child prematurely just two days before her death.
Naturally, emotions were at an all-time high. But Nicks adored Robin, and decided to help take care of the baby boy, named Matthew. And in her grief, coupled with Anderson’s own grief, they decided to get married shortly after Robin’s death.
The Story of Stevie Nicks and Her Best Friend’s Widower, Kim Anderson
Of course, the marriage didn’t last very long at all. The two would separate just a few months later. In 1998, Nicks talked about her thought process behind marrying her best friend’s bereaved husband.
“My very best friend Robin called me and told me she had terminal leukaemia and that they thought that maybe she might last three months,” said Nicks. “So, without a doubt, it was the absolute high and low of success. I never got to enjoy ‘Bella Donna’ [Nicks’ album] at all because my friend was dying; something went out that day, something left. She died, and they took the baby, and it was like he was three months premature, and it was horrible, it was such an upsetting situation.”
Nicks went on to say that everyone involved was devastated. However, there was a premature baby in need of care, and she just sort of “went crazy.”
“I was determined to take care of that baby, so I said to Kim, ‘I don’t know, I guess we should just get married,’” said Nicks. “And so we got married three months after she died, and it was a terrible, terrible mistake. We didn’t get married because we were in love, we got married because we were grieving, and it was the only way that we could feel like we were doing anything.”
Following the pair’s split, communication was not exactly easy. According to Nicks, the pair only exchanged gifts for Matthew and almost completely stopped speaking to each other. Stevie Nicks’ short-lived marriage to Robin’s widower was her only marriage.
Fortunately, the now-adult Matthew and Nicks have since reconnected. His daughter calls Nicks “Grandma Stevie”.
Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images
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