Biggest reveals from Willie Nelson’s new docuseries: affairs, drugs, suicide attempts

Willie Nelson’s new docuseries on Paramount+ chronicles the incredible moments that have made up his nine decades of life — some of them wholesome, others far less so.

The four-part “Willie Nelson & Family” hit the streamer on Thursday, and takes a look back on the 90-year-old’s career highs and personal lows. His stories are told through the eyes of the “On the Road Again” singer himself, as well as other musicians, his family and even old flames.

“Dad has been homeless, he’s had his house burnt down, he’s been through four marriages, he’s been up and down, he’s been broke, he’s [fought] the IRS, he’s lost a child,” said son Lukas, whom Nelson shares with his fourth and current wife, Annie D’Angelo. “That’s what makes him inspiring to me: his resilience in the face of adversity.”

From countless affairs to suicide attempts to stories about drugs, here are some of the most memorable moments detailed in the series — from the heartbreaking to the humorous.

Nelson’s second wife learned of his affair when she found a hospital bill for his mistress’ baby

Among the most bizarre of the series’ revelations is how Nelson’s second wife came to find out about the woman who would later become his third wife, Connie Koepke.

Nelson was married to Shirley Collie when she learned that Nelson not only had a mistress in Koepke, but shared a baby with her. It was an old hospital bill from the 1969 birth of baby girl Paula that alerted her to the truth.

“Shirley wanted to know who in the hell was Connie Nelson,” the singer shared. “The truth is Connie had been my girlfriend for several years before becoming pregnant.”

Collie divorced Nelson in 1971 after learning of the affair. He went on to marry Koepke that same year, and the couple stayed together until splitting in 1988.

Frequent fights with his first wife led to a fork in his side

Nelson was just 19 when he eloped with 16-year-old Martha Matthews in 1952. Though he recalled her “eyes set my soul on fire,” that heat had some drawbacks as their relationship grew to be volatile and often physically violent.

“We had a lot of fun together, but we fought, and we both were drinking a lot in those days,” Nelson revealed.

He then described one of their arguments taking a particularly terrible turn: “One morning we got in this argument, and she picked up this fork and threw it across the table and it stuck in my side. It sounded like a tuning fork.”

Still, the duo stayed together for 10 years and welcomed three children — daughters Lana and Susie and son Billy.

Nelson attempted suicide numerous times while drinking

Alcohol didn’t just impact Nelson’s marriage, but his mental health — particularly in the 1960s. He recalled attempting to take his own life more than once during this time.

“Back in my drinking days, I tried to commit suicide a couple of times,” Nelson said, describing those years as a period of “slowly self-destructing.”

“[Matthews] and I were fighting worse than ever, and I started drinking more than ever,” he continued. “I would get drunk every night and go home with someone different every night. … I really didn’t care.”

Nelson went on to reveal that he once laid down in the middle of the road, “in the dead of winter,” hoping he’d be hit by a car.

Decades later, in 1991, Nelson’s oldest son Billy died by suicide at age 33.

Nelson’s manager landed his gig after taking the fall for someone else’s cocaine

Apparently, Nelson’s longtime manager Mark Rothbaum can thank his criminal record for landing him his current job.

In the 1970s, Rothbaum was working as an assistant for Neil Reshen, who managed both Nelson and Waylon Jennings at the time. Unfortunately, Rothbaum’s role landed him in hot water one day when he was caught transporting cocaine from Reshen to Jennings. Rothbaum refused to rat on the men and ultimately spent a year behind bars. Reshen also fired Rothbaum once he pled guilty.

Following his release from jail, Nelson kicked Reshen to the curb and offered Rothbaum the job instead.

“I thought that was a pretty strong thing for him to do, so I immediately liked the guy,” Nelson said.

Billy saved Paula from a house fire — Nelson saved his pot

When a fire broke out in the basement of Nelson’s Ridgetop, Tennessee, home in December 1970, his 12-year-old son Billy stepped in to rescue baby sister Paula from her crib.

Nelson, meanwhile, rushed into the flames to rescue “a bag of primo Colombian pot” as well as his favorite guitar.

“I wasn’t about to lose a couple of pounds of good pot,” he laughed.