Margie Willett – Biography, Married Life, Death, Family, Quick Facts

Margie Willett was the ex-wife of iconic American comedian, actor, producer, singer and writer Dick Van Dyke, whose Hollywood career spans more than six decades. The two had been married for 36 years and had 4 children. The marriage failed due to infidelity. The couple lived apart for the last eight years of the marriage before it was finally annulled in 1984. She died in 2008 aged 81.

Margie Willett Bio

She was born Marjorie Willet in the year 1927. She grew up in Danville, Illinois where she met Van Dyke in 1947. The two lovebirds got engaged after dating for a month and moved to Los Angeles , where they married in front of an audience of millions.

Margie Willett was a very private person as she never revealed much about her life. Even after marrying one of Hollywood’s most prominent personalities, she always kept her life and her children away from the paparazzi. Unlike ordinary celebrity wives, Margie shielded her children from the public gaze to allow them to lead normal lives.

The married life of Margie Willett

Margie Willett was married to Dick Van Dyke. The couple went on a date just a month before they tied the knot in 1948. During their marriage, Margie and Van Dyke suffered from addiction. She was a prescription drug addict while her former husband was an alcoholic. The couple sought treatment for their addictions at the same rehab center. This was revealed in the latest issue of Van Dyke’s memoir Keep Moving.

However, her ex-husband fell into an extramarital affair with his agent’s secretary, Michelle Triola. The affair remained secret until Van Dyke decided not to say anything about the affair in 1976, he could no longer bear the guilt. He went so far as to pay Michelle Triola the six-figure amount for which she filed an ‘unsuccessful’ lawsuit against actor Lee Marvin, her former resident partner. The word “palimony” was actually coined during this infamous lawsuit. This installment was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. As a result, the couple decided to separate when the marriage ended in 1984.

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After the divorce, Margie Willett remained single as her ex-husband continued with partner Michelle Triola. The relationship lasted 30 years. This ended in 2009 when Michelle died of lung cancer.

Van Dyke remained single for a while before he found love again with his much younger makeup artist, Arlene Silver. At the time of their marriage in 2012, Van Dyke was 86 while Arlene was 40. After all, age is just a number.

Margie Willett’s family

Margie Willett and Dick Van Dyke had a total of Barry, Carrie Beth, Stacy and Christian are four children during their marriage. Earlier in the marriage, Margie suffered a miscarriage in which she lost twins. She also has a total of ten grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

His son Barry Van Dyke is also an actor, just like his father. He is best known for the series Diagnosis: Murder. His character, Detective Lieutenant Steve Sloan, was a son of his father’s character, Dr. Mark Sloan.

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Margie’s death

Margie Willett was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2007. She died in 2008. Although they were long divorced, her ex-husband admitted Margie’s death broke his heart.

Quick Facts About Margie Willet

The couple tied the knot during a live broadcast of the radio show “Bride and Groom.” Well, it turns out Van Dyke and his wife were too broke to get married. So when the producer of the radio show offered to pay for the wedding if they wanted to tie the knot of his show, they couldn’t refuse the offer. Who would want anyway!
Their honeymoon was also paid for by the same generous radio producer!
It’s a humble start for the Van Dykes, who can’t afford a house after they get married. They had to live in their car for a while.
Margie Willett didn’t like Hollywood. Even though she had been married for over 30 years to one of Tinsel Town’s most beloved stars, she still didn’t feel like it. Following her stint in rehab for drug addiction, she moved to the family ranch in the desert.