Who is Margie Willett?
Margie Willett is known for being the ex-wife of Dick Van Dyke, a popular American film actor, comedian, and TV personality. He is known to have started his career in the entertainment industry as an entertainer on the Broadway stage, in nightclubs, and on radio and television.
Margie Willett divorced her husband, Dick Van Dyke in 1984 and died in 2008 from pancreatic cancer, at aged 81. She did not remarry after the divorce from Van Dyke, but Dick did, he got married in 2012 to Arlene Silver, even though Van Dyk told The Guardian that he lost a part of himself when Margie Willett died.
In this article, however, I will share with you Margie Willett’s biography, career, age, death, kids, net worth, husband, and a few other interesting things you probably didn’t know about her.
Margie Willett Biography
Margie Willett was born in 1926 in her home country, the United States of America, and is supposed to be 96 years old, but she sadly passed away in 2008 at 81 after suffering pancreatic cancer, which she was diagnosed with in 2007. Although Margie and her ex-husband, Dick, were divorced at the time of her death, her ex-husband admitted that her death was heartbreaking for him in one of his interviews.
Her parents raised Margie Willett in her hometown, Danville, Illinois, the US. She held American citizenship by birth and belonged to the white-American ethnic classification. She had white skin color, a pair of black eyes, and light brown hair. Because Margie Willett needed to be more generous about sharing details about her life on the internet, no reports have confirmed her exact height and weight parameters.
As with most details about her life, Margie was reluctant to share details about her educational background. Be that as it may, however, Margie must have been a well-educated woman. And when it comes to careers, Margie’s is sketchy, too.
Margie Willett’s Wedding with Dick Van Dyke
Margie and Dick Van Dyke’s love story started way back in high school in Danville, Illinois, according to Van Dyke’s memoir. Dick recounts that Margie was in love with another student who was active in football and wrestling and was tougher than him. Although Dick did not reveal the name of the student, he said that after Margie dump the football and wrestling mate for him, he was always on his heels to avoid a fight.
The young lovers relocated to Los Angeles, where they tied their wedding knot on February 12, 1948, during a radio station program called Bride and Groom.
And speaking more about this wedding, Margie Willett and her husband, Dick Van Dyke, did not have money to pay for their wedding. So their marriage was sponsored by the show producer of ‘Bride and Groom,’ who had had an agreement with the couple. Their wedding was held in a live broadcast and was listened to by over 15 million listeners. And well, this same producer sponsored their honeymoon.
Margie Willett’s Family
Be that as it may, however, Margie and Dick Van Dyke went their separate ways in 1976 after Dick Van Dyke started having extramarital affairs with other women. on May 4, 1984, they divorced.
Before the divorce, life was quite an adventure for Margie and Dick. They lived in a duplex in Malibu during Dicks early days in the movie industry. As the couple stayed together, Margie became pregnant with twins but lost it to miscarriage.
According to Dick’s memoir, he was in the hospital with Margie when they were evicted from their home in Malibu due to unpaid rent. At some point, they lived in a vehicle.
- Margie’s first child was Christian Van Dyke, born on May 13, 1950, in Atlanta.
- Barry Van Dyke was born on July 31, 1951, in Atlanta
- Stacy Van Dyke was born in New Orleans in 1954
- Carrie Beth Van Dyke was born in 1961
On the other hand, Taryn Van Dyke, Shane Van Dyke, Wes Van Dyke, Carey Van Dyke, and Jessica Van Dyke ate the names of Margie’s grandchildren, whereas Mia Van Dyke, Ava Van Dyke, Alex Van Dyke, and Gracie Van Dyke, are the names of some of her great-grandchildren.
Margie Willett’s Marriage and Divorce from Dick Van Dyke
Infidelity was the cause for their separation, but Dick recounts that Margie was not comfortable with the fame he had acquired. I can’t tell how he handled it but he said that when they were in public, Margie would sometimes be forced aside by people who wanted to chat with him. Margie did not appreciate Hollywood and made that known to Dick during their marriage.
Margie would rather live in the family ranch at Cave Creek, Arizona, purchased by Dick in the late 1960s.
After Dick was done with rehab in 1972 for drug addiction, Margie checked herself in on the same day. it turns out that she was taking Librium, a prescription medicine used to treat the symptoms of Anxiety, and got hooked on the drug – Dick Van Dyke had no idea. Ugh.
In 1976, Dick was honest enough to reveal to Margie that was having an affair with his brand’s secretary, Michelle Triola, since 1975. 1976 was the beginning of their break up and subsequent divorce was incoming.
In 1984, Dick Van Dyke and Margie’s divorce was officialized, although they shared responsibility for parenting their children. Then, Dick was 59 years old while Margie was 58 years old.
Margie Willet Ex-husband
Dick Van Dyke was born Richard Wayne Van Dyke on December 13, 1925, in West Plains, Missouri, in the United States of America, and is 96 years old. In the US, he was raised in the company of his siblings, Jerry Van Dyke (brother) and Kelly Jean Van Dyke. And well, he was married twice and divorced once.
And speaking of marriages and divorce, Dick Van Dyke was married to Margie Willett (married between 1948 and 1984) and is currently married to Arlene Silver (married in 2012). He divorced Margie due to his affair with a lady called Michelle Triola Marvin. He was into Michelle from 1876 – 2009 when Michelle died – his memoir reveals.
By the way, Dick Vand Dyke’s memoir which was released on May 15 2011 is available on Amazon. No affiliation.
Van Dyke started his business venture in the military in 1944 after he left high school. He wanted to join United States Air Force, during World War 2 but he was denied enlistment severally, the reason being that he was underweight. After many attempts, he was accepted into the force as a radio announcer before he joined the Special Special Services and entertained battalions in the continental United States.
Van Dyke also planned to run an advertising agency with his friend but that also failed and he had to return to the radio station he worked with during his high school days.
According to CNN, to make ends meet, Dick performed with Philip Erickson from 1947 to 1953 as “The Merry Mutes.”
Traveling around and performing with Philip stopped in 1953 when Dick was finally based in Atlanta and worked as a television host. Van Dyke’s first TV show was with Dennis James on James’ Chance of a Lifetime in 1954 and he worked with WDSU-TV New Orleans Channel 6 (NBC) as a single comedian and later as an anchor.
Margie Willett Net worth
Margie Willett lived a private life. Unlike, her ex-husband, Dick Van Dyke, has an estimated net worth of about $50 million.