Although Annie Martell and her ex-husband’s marriage ended in divorce, she continues to honor her former husband’s legacy following his death. The ex-couple adopted two children during their marriage, and the deceased singer said he would be more than happy to be remembered as a father and husband.
John Denver was on tour in Minnesota when he met his future first wife, Annie Martell. At the time, the late singer was still a part of the musical group Chad Mitchell Trio. However, following the success of his solo career, Annie Martell and her ex-husband’s relationship became strained.
Despite celebrating over ten years of marriage and starting a family, Annie Martell filed for divorce following John Denver’s string of affairs. Even so, Annie Martell proved she harbored no hard feelings toward her ex-husband and continues to honor his legacy.
John Denver and Annie Martell at the 20th Annual Grammy Awards on February 23, 1978, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
Annie Martell Admitted to Feeling Threatened by Her Ex-husband’s Success during Their Marriage
A few months after meeting in 1966, Martell and Denver reunited and kept in contact. A year later, they were husband and wife and relocated to Aspen, Colorado. However, marital bliss only lasted so long, as Martell recalled struggling with her ex-husband’s stardom.
“‘How am I going to compete with this?'” she remembered worrying as she sat at home while the singer sold millions of records, hosted the Grammys, and headlined his own TV special. Martell said:
“It was very threatening for me. I didn’t know who I was. I didn’t have an identity.”
Annie Martell, John Denver, and his mother Ora Louisa Swope at the John Denver-David Armstrong Art Exhibit on December 1, 1980, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
After Annie Martell’s Late Ex-husband Revealed He Was Sterile, the Couple Chose to Adopt
Despite briefly separating, Martell and Denver were able to make their marriage work, and in 1974, the late singer wrote his hit song, “Annie’s Song,” for his first wife.
After opening up about being sterile, Denver and Martell decided to adopt their one-quarter Cherokee son Zachary John and their Japanese-American daughter Anna Kate.
Marterll’s ex-husband continued to tour and make music after becoming a father but revealed that he and Martell had dreams of opening “a little restaurant.”
John Denver and Annie Martell at the Opening Night Exhibitions of his photographs and David Armstrong’s paintings on December 1, 1980, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
After retiring from music, Denver would return to Aspen to raise his family, and while Martell did all the cooking in their restaurant, he would wait tables and sing. He added:
“I’ll tell you the best thing about me. I’m some guy’s dad; I’m some little gal’s dad. When I die, if they say I was Annie’s husband and Zachary John and Anna Kate’s father, boy, that’s enough for me to be remembered by. That’s more than enough.”
John Denver, Annie Martell and artist David Armstrong at the John Denver-David Armstrong Art Exhibit on December 1, 1980, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
How Annie Martell Has Honored Her Late Ex-husband’s Legacy
Martell, a psychologist, divorced Denver in 1982 following his constant affairs. However, she proved she harbored no hard feelings towards her late ex-husband as she attended and spoke at the expansion of the sanctuary dedicated to John Denver, The John Denver Sanctuary, in Aspen.
In the sanctuary, there is a boulder with the lyrics from “Annie’s Song,” and Martell said, “That’s beautiful. It’s about love, and it’s about Nature and how that stirs those profound feelings up.”
