Martin's family announced that she passed away Wednesday after a battle with cancer.
Martin was born in Florida in 1927 and became a model, appearing in magazines, catalogs and calendars. She was voted Orange Bowl queen in 1947 at age 20, and appeared its New Year’s Eve parade and at the Jan. 1, 1948 Georgia Tech vs. Kansas football game.
In 1948, Martin met Dean at a New Year's Eve show at the Beachcomber Club in Miami.
“We locked eyes and I knew," she told author Nick Tosches for a 1992 biography of Dean Martin. "We just fell madly in love.”
The pair were married from 1949–1973 and had three children together, Dean Paul, Ricci and Gina. Ricci died earlier this month.
After marrying Dean Martin in 1949, the pair were one of Hollywood’s most photographed couples. Matriarch of their large family, she gave birth to three of Dean’s children while raising four more from his previous marriage. Their breakup in 1969 caused nearly as much distress to Martin’s fans as his professional split with partner Jerry Lewis had in 1956.
In his 2005 memoir, Dean & Me, Jerry Lewis described Jeanne as “the best thing (next to me) that ever happened to Dean.”
Martin was married to the singer during the height of his career, though the couple separated in 1969 and divorced in 1973. Martin never remarried.
The pair became reacquainted in 1987 when one of their sons, actor Dean Paul Martin, was killed at 35 while piloting a military jet. Jeanne and Dean remained on good terms until his death from respiratory failure on Christmas Day 1995.
Eldest daughter Claudia Martin died of breast cancer in 2001.
Their youngest son, musician Ricci Martin, died on Aug. 3.
She is survived by son Craig Martin; daughters Gail Martin Downey, Deana Martin Griffeth and Gina Martin Romano; and 11 grandchildren. Funeral services will be private...
What a rough time for the Martin family. RIP Jeanne.
ReplyDeleteA rough time, indeed. To lose one's brother and mother in the same month, I really feel for Dean's children.
ReplyDelete"Martin was married to the singer during the height of his career, though the couple separated in 1969 and divorced in 1973. Martin never remarried."
ReplyDeleteDean was married to a woman named Catherine Hawn for three years in the 1970s and adopted her daughter. I remember this because it was upsetting for someone who grew up with Dean talking about he and Jeanne reading those letters every night to think of him married to someone else. It is lovely to know that Dean and Jeanne reconnected late in life.
They meant Jeanne Martin, not Dean.
DeleteOh, never mind my previous post. I just realized you were referring to the fact that Jeanne never remarried when you wrote "Martin"..
ReplyDeleteMr. Lobosco, thanks for a reverent remembrance of Mrs. Martin.
ReplyDeleteKnow that your efforts have been shared this day at ilovedinomartin.
Very eloquent remembrance.
ReplyDeleteJeanne was truly Dean Martin's one true love & soul mate..It was so wonderful to know that they reunitd their relationship in later years and now they are reunited forever along with 3 of their children. God Bless them all.
ReplyDeleteIt was such a upsetting to hear the news that they separate
DeleteI loved loved Dean since I was 16
Does a tragic story generate extra comments?
ReplyDelete.dean was mr cool, i saw him in Vegas back in 1974 great man and a true gentleman, that was when he hosted dean Martins celebrity roasts, dean always had beautiful woman around him no matter what, r.i.p. dean you were mr cool. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
ReplyDeleteAfter much research, including reading Deana Martin's book, " Memories are Made of This", I find it very disturbing that Dean died alone. Jeanne gave her elaborate yearly Christmas party just blocks away as she lived very close to Dean. Deana writes in her book that she and Jeanne were still partying early into the hour of Dean's death. Now if I knew my dad or my still dear to me ex husband was at death's door, and he refused his party invite for the first Christmas ever at Jeanne's, I would be right beside Dean or at least in his house.
ReplyDeleteHow sad that you see all of the footage of him with his large loving family through the years, but died alone save for a nurse on hand.
Leelee,
DeleteDeana writes in her book that she and Jeanne were still partying early into the hour of Dean's death.
Hmmmmm....
Thank you for that information.
For whatever reasonn (probably because of health problems I had in , I've never read Memories Are Made of This, the year that the book was published.
I just ordered a copy through Amazon.