Willie Nelson is not only one of country music’s most legendary performers, but also a devoted father of eight. Over the decades, the 92-year-old welcomed five daughters — Lana, Susie, Paula, Amy Lee, and Renee — and three sons — Billy, Lukas, and Micah — through three marriages, and in 2012, he discovered another daughter he hadn’t known about. Sadly, not all of Willie’s children are still living: his son Billy died in 1991, and his daughter Renee passed away in 2017.
Family has remained central to his life and music, with several of his kids performing alongside him, including on his 2021 album The Willie Nelson Family. Read on to learn more about Willie’s children, their mothers, and the remarkable lives they’ve led.
Find out more about the kids, their moms, and the interesting lives they lead below!
Lana Nelson
Lana Nelson is the firstborn child of Willie and his first wife Martha Matthews, to whom he was married from 1952 until 1962. Lana was born in 1953 and has stepped into the spotlight every once in a while. She appeared in Willie’s 1986 film Red Headed Stranger and also worked in the film’s costume department as a costume designer. She is also credited as a producer for the upcoming documentary Lovey: King of the Roadies, which is about one of the world’s first roadies, Benjamin Holladay Dorcy ll. She and her father also appear in it.
When she’s not working on projects with Willie, she’s helping promote his other projects. In the above photo, she can be seen smiling alongside some products from Willie’s marijuana line called Willie’s Reserve.
Susie Nelson
Susie Nelson is the second daughter of Willie and Martha. She was born in 1956 and is best known for penning a book about living life as the daughter of one of the most popular country singers in history. Her book, titled, Heart Worn Memories: A Daughter’s Personal Biography of Willie Nelson, was published in 1987. Like her sister Lana, Susie also worked with Willie when she was the co-host of “Susie’s Gospel Hour” on the Sirius XM channel, Willie’s Roadhouse, in 2012.
Billy Nelson
Willie “Billy” Nelson Jr. was the third child of Willie and Martha. He was born in 1958 but sadly passed away in 1991 from suicide, per AP News. The previous year, he had undergone treatment for alcohol abuse. A spokesperson for Willie told the outlet at the time that the singer was” very sad and trying to deal with” his son’s sudden death.
Billy recorded a gospel song with Willie called “My Body’s Just a Suitcase for My Soul,” which can be heard in the video above. The song was included on a gospel album called Peace in the Valley that the famous country crooner released in 1994.
Paula Nelson
Paula Nelson is Willie’s first child with his third wife Connie Koepke, to whom he was married from 1971 until 1988. Paula was born in 1969 when Willie was still married to his second wife Shirley Collie Nelson, whom he divorced in 1971. As of 2022, she’s released five albums as a solo artist and with the Paula Nelson Band and has worked as the host of her own Sirius XM show on the Outlaw Country channel.
Like Billy, she also recorded a duet with her father. “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” appeared on his 2013 album, To All the Girls…, and on the soundtrack to the hit HBO show Big Little Lies, per IMDb. Furthermore, she worked on “Friday Night Lights”, per the Tahoe Daily Tribune. She has also acted, appearing in 2010’s Corruption.Gov.
Amy Lee Nelson
Amy Lee Nelson is the second child of Willie and Connie. She was born in 1973 and has also become a singer. She’s part of the group Folk Uke with Cathy Guthrie, the daughter of singer Arlo Guthrie, and as of 2022, they’ve released at least three albums and appeared on others. Amy and Cathy’s famous dads have made guest appearances on their records and continue to be an inspiration in their lives.
Lukas Nelson
Lukas Nelson is the first child of Willie and his current wife, Annie D’Angelo, whom he married in 1991. He was born in 1988 and like his dad and some of his older siblings, he’s chosen a career in music. His band, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, has released eight albums as of 2022. The band was also the backing band for Bradley Cooper in the 2018 film A Star Is Born, per IMDb, and Lukas even served as the actor’s vocal coach and co-wrote several songs for the soundtrack.
Lukas is very active on social media and often shares videos of himself playing music acoustically, like the one above.
Micah Nelson
Micah is Willie and Annie’s youngest son. He was born in 1990 and is also a musician. His rock band, Particle Kid, has gained popularity over the years and they’ve toured with his dad and brother as well as other popular musicians like Flaming Lips, so they’re definitely making a mark in the music industry.
Renee Nelson
Renee is Willie’s long-lost daughter he learned about in 2012. Her mother is reportedly his friend Mary Haney. “I have an old, dear friend, Mary Haney, who I’d lost touch with but recently met again after decades. Turns out Mary and I had a child together called Renee,” Willie wrote in his 2013 autobiography, Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die: Musings From the Road (via Express). “It also turns out Renee has a daughter, Noelle, who has a daughter, Jordan, who I am happy to now call my great-granddaughter,” he added. “My newly discovered family sure took some time to surface.”
Renee was born on January 22, 1953, and passed away in August 2017 at the age of 64. Friends and family confirmed in tributes at the time that she had been battling cancer.
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