Margie Willett: How did Dick Van Dyke's first wife die?

Margie Willett was the first wife of Dick Van Dyke. Margie Willett’s husband is a prominent Hollywood actor, entertainer, and comedian. The celebrated actor is the recipient of multiple awards, including a Golden Globe, Tony, Grammy, and Daytime Emmy, and four Primetime Emmys. He is famously known for his series, “The Dick Van Vyke Show.”

Margie Willett: Bio Summary

Full NameMargie Willett
famous asthe first wife of Dick Van Dyke
Age81 years old at the time of death
Date of birth1927
Place of Birth United States of America
Date of death2008
NationalityAmerican
EthnicityCaucasian
children Carrie Beth Van DykeChristian Van Dyke
Stacy Van Dyke, Barry Van Dyke
spouseDick Van Dyke (m. 1948–1984)

Margie Willett was born in Illinois, United States of America in 1927. Willet, who came from Van Dyke’s hometown in Danville, Illinois, knew the actor for several years before they started dating in 1945. At that time, Willet left her then-boyfriend to pursue a romantic relationship with Van Dyke. Willett and Van Dyke grew up together in Danville, Illinois. It’s a small town located along Illinois’ eastern border with Indiana.

The  Mary Poppins actor recalls In his memoir “My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business: “All through high school, she had dated a boy who was on both the football and wrestling teams […]. After she ditched him for me, he wanted to kill me.” He continued- “We would be sitting in her parents’ living room and suddenly hear him out front yelling, “Van Dyke, come out here! I’ll bust you up!” Given that he loved to fight, I took that as my signal to race out the back door. He never did catch on or catch me.“

ALSO, READ; Carrie Beth Van Dyke: Truth About Dick Van Dyke’s Daughter

Van Dyke and Margie Willett Got Married on a Radio Show

 The actor told The Guardian in a 2016 interview, that they were “too broke to get married.” a radio producer was too kind to change the narrative, he offered the couple to pick up the tab and send them on honeymoon if they got hitched on his show. Van Dyke and his first Willett exchanged vows in 1948 on an ABC show called Bride and Groom while about 15 million people were listening.

According to Van Dyke, her late ex-wife was sometimes mistaken for sister or mom several times.”Once when I appeared on a magazine cover, Margie snapped up six copies, and the cashier asked if she was my mother,” the comedian shared.

Margie Willett Suffered a Miscarriage

Life wasn’t all rosy for the couple at the beginning. Van Dyke in his memoir opened up about his marriage with Margie. The actor revealed that they found a duplex and “loved living at the beach.” Willett became pregnant with twins during this time period but the pregnancy ended with a miscarriage.

The Mary Poppin actor went on to explain that while she was with her wife at the hospital, their landlord evicted them for failure to pay their rent. Later, the couple had four children- Carrie Beth Van DykeChristian Van DykeStacy Van Dyke, and Barry Van Dyke. According to CheatSheet, the couple had their sons in Atlanta. Their first daughter was born in New Orleans in 1954 and the youngest daughter arrived in 1961 in Los Angeles.

ALSO, READ; Stacy Van Dyke: Where is Dick Van Dyke’s daughter now?

Once the Comedian became got hold of fame, he incorporated his children and some grandchildren into his TV projects, including The Dick Van Dyke Show and “Diagnosis Murder.” As Van Dyke enjoys the glitz and glamor of Hollywood his wife Margie Willett wasn’t always comfortable with the lifestyle.

According to an excerpt from the Hollywood star’s memoir as reported by The Daily Mail, Van Dyke recalled that his ex-wife Willett “didn’t like Hollywood or its stars, but she made an exception when, in 1972, we were invited to dinner – cooked by Frank Sinatra.” Van Dyke said his wife Margie Willett had badly hoped Sinatra would sing that night but Sinatra had not been in the mood to perform.

While talking to The Guardian about how his wife Margie Willett struggled with it, Dick Van Dyke Said. “[Margie] was shunted aside at showbiz events by people wanting to chat to me. She wore her hair short and eschewed makeup, and we were often mistaken for brother and sister,”. Margie was a very private person even before marrying Dick. The Hollywood star also shared that Willett preferred to live on the family’s ranch.

Why did Van Dyke and his ex-wife Margie Divorce?

Sadly the love birds couldn’t keep their marriage going and it ended in a divorce. In “Keep Moving,” one of the books that Van Dyke wrote, he addressed some aspects of his experience cheating on Margie. While fans thought he was having a glitz and glamorous Hollywood lifestyle, the icon was struggling with alcoholism.

According to an excerpt from his memoir where he addressed those issues, Van Dyke learned about his ex-wife Margie Willett’s own struggles with addiction when she came to pick him up from rehab:

On my last day, Margie came to pick me up. However, after a few minutes, the counselor came in and said that Margie was taking over my room. ‘She just checked herself in,’ he said. It turned out Margie had a problem with Librium. She’d been taking the drug for anxiety and depression and become hooked. I had no idea. We were quite a pair – a drunk and an addict.

Once she was released, Dick Van Dyke’s wife started spending more time on the family’s ranch in the desert. He went on to explain how he started confiding in his agent’s secretary, Michelle Triola, in 1975. In “Keep Moving,” the actor recalled the affair that ended his marriage, he wrote:

“[Michelle] was easy to talk to, she understood me. At the time, Michelle was suing actor Lee Marvin, with whom she had a six-year relationship. I was drawn into a relationship. I was involved with a woman other than my wife. It was unbelievable. I was writhing in guilt.“

Their relationship became romantic and by 1976, Van Dyke admitted to Willett that he had been having an affair. Dick Van Dyke and Margie Willett were separated from that time on but didn’t divorce until 1984.

ALSO, READ; Christian Van Dyke: Everything About Dick Van Dyke’s Son

What happened to Dick Van Dyke’s first wife?

Dick Van Dyke’s first wife Margie Willett passed away in 2008 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer only one year before. She was 81 years old. Margie Willett’s death deeply affected the actor. During an interview Dick had with the Guardian, he admitted to losing a part of himself with her passing. There is no record of her marrying again.

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