Though their marriage ended decades ago, Bonnie Owens never truly let go of Merle Haggard—not in her heart, not in her music, and certainly not in the quiet moments when the spotlight faded. In rare and heartfelt reflections shared before her passing in 2006, Bonnie spoke candidly about her lasting love for the man she once married—and the man whose life and career she helped shape.
Bonnie Owens, a country music star in her own right and the former wife of Buck Owens before marrying Merle, stood beside Haggard during the earliest and most defining years of his career. She was there when the Bakersfield Sound was born, when Merle was just finding his voice, and when the world began to realize that voice would speak for generations of working-class Americans.
“I always said I’d stand by him—even if I couldn’t stay married to him,” Bonnie once said with a bittersweet smile.
The couple divorced in 1978, but their connection never fully disappeared. In fact, Bonnie continued to tour with Merle as a backup singer long after the end of their marriage—a rare and telling testament to the deep mutual respect they shared. Their harmonies remained intact, both musically and emotionally.
“He was the most complicated man I ever knew,” she once confided to a friend. “But he had a poet’s heart. And I never stopped loving the part of him that was vulnerable and true.”
Merle Haggard himself frequently praised Bonnie, crediting her not only with supporting him through his early struggles—including his time in prison—but also for helping him become the artist he was. “She believed in me before anyone else did,” Merle once said. “I owe her more than I could ever repay.”
Despite their divorce, Bonnie’s loyalty never wavered. Friends say she often spoke of Merle with tenderness, and when asked if she ever stopped missing him, her answer was quiet but clear:
“No. I never did. Some people leave your life, but not your heart.”