37. They Fought A Lot
While Campbell and Tucker were both country music darlings, nobody would call their relationship sweet. They were prone to very vocal, public, and sometimes violent fights. He allegedly threw chairs, and she cracked his ribs. One fight in the New York Plaza Hotel left a room in tatters. It cost Campbell $1,200 to clean it up.
When it came time to call it quits, things really got ugly.
38. She Wanted His Money
When Campbell and Tucker finally decided to end things, Tucker was not about to go quietly. The two had never officially married, but Tucker was asking for $3 million. It wasn’t alimony. She wanted him to pay for his violent behaviour. She shocked the music world when she said that Campbell had knocked out two of her front teeth.
Campbell’s golden boy image was coming undone.
39. It Was Insanity
Tucker did not legally sue Campbell, but the relationship was certainly over. Campbell’s time with Tucker was so bad that he called it a “poisoned relationship “ and “my insanity”. Tucker, on the other hand, saw it differently. She called Campbell the love of her life.
To get over the disaster that was Tanya Tucker, Campbell went on a blind date.
40. He Was A Monster
Without dealing with his addiction issues, Campbell entered yet another marriage. He met Kim Woolen on a blind date in 1981 and married her the next year. Woolen seemed to have little idea what she was in for. When she saw her husband high, she called him a monster. At one point, her monstrous husband even pointed a pistol at her.
Woolen should have run the other way, but she hung in there.
41. She Helped Him
Woolen was not about to stay married to a “monster”, so she gave him an ultimatum: quit using, or she’d be gone. To help him, Woolen offered up the church she attended. She also had a tape recording that she hoped would scare him straight. On the tape, an inebriated Campbell was incoherently rambling away. Hearing himself like this was enough for Campbell to quit his vices.
It just didn’t last as long as he’d hoped.
42. He Had A Setback
Campbell may have been sober since 1989, but this didn't mean there weren't setbacks. In 2003, Campbell was driving in Phoenix, Arizona, and officers pulled him over. They were pretty sure that Campbell had been drinking and was over the legal limit. When they asked him his name, he said he was “Glen Campbell, the Rhinestone Cowboy”.
Things went downhill from there.
Fairfax Media Archives, Getty Images
43. He Got Over-Served
Campbell hadn’t won the officers over, not even a bit. When he told them that he had just ordered a Coke at the bar, they were pretty sure he was lying. He called it being “over-served". It got worse when Campbell attempted to knee one of the officers in his leg. Even the Rhinestone Cowboy couldn't get away with this behaviour.
Things were not looking good.
Ron Galella, Ltd., Getty Images
44. They Put Him Away
Even though he was the Rhinestone Cowboy, the officers had to take Campbell's behavior seriously. As they took him to the Phoenix station, some witnesses say he was singing his hit song, “By the Time I Get To Phoenix”. The judge threw the book at him and sent him to prison for 10 days.
Campbell needed a change of scenery to turn his life around.
Pictorial Parade, Getty Images
45. He Made A Friend On The Dark Side
Campbell decided to give living in Phoenix a chance and found one of his neighbors was macabre rocker Alice Cooper. Both musicians had moved to Phoenix to get away from the booze and drug culture that caused them both so many problems. When they took up golf together, they formed a close friendship.
But Cooper soon noticed a problem with his new friend.
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46. He Became Forgetful
It was Cooper who noticed that something wasn't quite right with Campbell. He became concerned when Campbell would tell a joke on the first tee and then repeat it again on the fourth. This prompted Campbell to see a doctor.
The news was not good.
47. He Got Ready To Say Goodbye
In 2010, doctors gave Campbell the sad diagnosis: he had Alzheimer's. This news prompted Campbell to get some things done before he was gone. He immediately started a “Goodbye Tour”. He also recorded his final album, which he affectionately called Adios. His final song was the bittersweet “I’m Not Gonna Miss You”.
But there would be a lot of people missing him.
48. She Wrote A Tribute
An 81-year-old Campbell passed on August 8, 2017. Tanya Tucker, who had been his turbulent lover, wrote and performed “Forever Loving You” as a tribute to her ex-boyfriend. When Campbell’s widow heard the song, she hit the roof and accused Tucker of using Campbell’s demise for her own publicity.
Even after he was gone, Campbell’s life continued to be full of trouble.
Tim Seidenstricker (Timseid1 at en.wikipedia), Wikimedia Commons
49. They Fought For His Money
Over his lifetime, Campbell had nine children. When the lawyers read his will, not all of them received an inheritance. The three who got left out were from his marriage to Billie Jean Nunley. These three kids fought to contest the will, but eventually let it go for unknown reasons.
Aside from these turbulent relationships, most have fond memories of Campbell as a gentle soul.
50. He Was One Of the Best
Shock rocker Alice Cooper had nothing but kind words for Campbell. He called him a “golden boy” who could easily hang out with a wide variety of people. He mentioned that Campbell was friends with members of the Brat Pack, the Beatles, and even Donny and Marie Osmond. He also said that Campbell was one of the five top guitar players in the music world.
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Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18
