When former bassist for The Rolling Stones, Bill Wyman, married a younger woman, there was a lot of publicity - and a few jokes.
On June 2, 1989, Bill Wyman married Mandy Smith. The couple had been dating for about 5 years before they got married. What made this rock marriage different was that, when they married, Bill was 52 and Mandy was 19. Even more bizarre was the fact that Bill started dating Mandy when she was 13!
Bill Wyman and Mandy Smith started dating in 1984, when Mandy was 13 and Bill was 47. They dated with the approval of Mandy’s parents. In 1986, after admitting that he was deeply in love with Mandy, Bill said, “For the first time in years, I’m trying to cut down on the number of women I’m sleeping with.”
It was Easter Sunday, 1989, that Bill proposed to Mandy. A formal wedding was set for June 5, but Bill and Mandy made it legal in a short civil ceremony at a registry office in Suffolk, England.
The wedding ceremony on June 5, 1989 took place at St. John’s church in London. About 500 guests were on hand, including all of Bill’s bandmates from The Rolling Stones. Bill Wyman remained with the Stones until leaving the band in 1993.
At the wedding, Eric Clapton presented Bill with silk pajamas with the message, “at Bill’s age, you shouldn’t be hopping into bed unclothed.” Stones drummer Charlie Watts reportedly said, “I’ve never said this would be a good match.”
How did things work out for a 52-year-old marrying aa 19-year-old he had been dating since she was 13? Bill Wyman and Mandy Smith’s marriage lasted only 9 months. But the story doesn’t end there...
After Bill and Mandy ended their marriage, Bill Wyman’s 31-year-old son, Stephen, married Mandy Smith’s 46-year-old mother, Patsy. Also in 1993, Bill got married again to Suzanne Accosta, who was in her 30s.
What if Bill and Mandy had remained married and Bill’s son married Mandy’s mother? Try to follow this! Bill’s son, Stephen, would have become Mandy’s stepson AND stepfather and Bill would have become his son’s son-in-law in addition to being his father!
And that’s the real story behind Stones’ bassist Bill Wyman marrying a much younger person.
(Thanks to the website Songfacts.com for some of the information provided.)
And that’s the real story behind Stones’ bassist Bill Wyman marrying a much younger person.
(Thanks to the website Songfacts.com for some of the information provided.)