Sometimes, just one onscreen quip can become part of your own wise-cracking legacy, just ask Willie Nelson!
The country music legend, 92, is known for several iconic sayings from his lifetime, including many about the meaning of happiness and contentment from his book The Tao of Willie: A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart.
© Getty ImagesHowever, a hilarious one that's often attributed to him came in 2005, which goes: "You know why divorces are so expensive? They're worth it!" And it turns out, it wasn't even from Willie himself.
The origins
The line actually came from Uncle Jesse Duke, Willie's character in the 2005 theatrical version of The Dukes of Hazzard, co-starring Jessica Simpson, Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, and Burt Reynolds. While the film received negative reviews, it was a box office success, grossing nearly $110 million worldwide.
Willie's Uncle Jesse says the memorable line as he escapes during a police chase, drinking liquor out of a jug before throwing it behind him like a Molotov cocktail.
While the line itself was a throwaway, it instantly became a classic among the "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" singer's fans, and is now commonly associated with Willie himself, outside of his appearance in the film.
Willie's own divorces
As it turns out, Willie does have some history with divorce, having been married three times before finally finding love with his now-wife Annie D'Angelo.
© Getty ImagesIn 1952, Willie tied the knot with Martha Matthews, when he was 19 and she was just 16, eventually welcoming three children with her. However, a decade into their marriage, they decided to call it quits.
In the documentary Willie Nelson & Family, the singer explained that their relationship entailed physical violence, particularly from Martha. "We had a lot of fun together, but we fought, and we both were drinking a lot in those days," he shared. "One morning, we got in this argument, and she picked up this fork and threw it across the table, and it stuck in my side. It sounded like a tuning fork."
In 1963, he married Shirley Collie. The couple remained together until 1971, when she discovered that he had fathered a daughter with Connie Koepke from an affair, and Shirley immediately divorced Willie.
© Getty ImagesHe married Connie that same year, and they welcomed another daughter named Amy. They remained together for nearly 25 years, divorcing in 1988. And in 1991, Willie married Annie, welcoming two sons with her.
Willie & Annie
Annie, who is 23 years younger than Willie, has been her husband's rock for the past three decades, with the singer telling People back in 2023 that they get by each day through remembering to keep each other laughing.
© Getty Images"As they say, laughter's the best medicine," he quipped, adding: "I've always enjoyed a good joke." Saying of his longtime wife: "I call her my pet rattler. She's my lover, my wife, nurse, doctor, bodyguard."
