Gotta love Merle.
Haggard was married five times, first to Leona Hobbs from 1956 to 1964. They had four children: Dana, Marty, Kelli, and Noel. Shortly after divorcing Hobbs, in 1965 he married singer Bonnie Owens, former wife of Buck Owens, and a successful country singer at the time. Haggard credited her with helping him make his big break as a country artist. Haggard shared the writing credit with Owens for his hit "Today I Started Loving You Again", and acknowledged, including on stage, that the song was about a sudden burst of special feelings he experienced for her while they were touring together. She also helped care for Haggard's children from his first marriage, and was the maid of honor for Haggard's third marriage. Haggard and Owens divorced in 1978, but remained close friends as Owens continued as his backing vocalist until her death in 2006. In 1978 Haggard married Leona Williams; they divorced in 1983. In 1985 Haggard married Debbie Parret; they divorced in 1991. He married his fifth wife, Theresa Ann Lane, on September 11, 1993. They had two children, Jenessa and Ben. A truck driver and part-time musician named Scott Haggard has said that he is Merle Haggard's son from a brief relationship in 1968. According to Scott Haggard, a DNA test confirmed the paternity, but Scott and Merle Haggard had no contact until 2004, when they met and talked after a concert. After that, they had sporadic contact. As of Merle Haggard's death, his family had not confirmed or denied Scott Haggard's paternity.
Haggard said he started smoking marijuana when he was 41 years old. He admitted that in 1983 he bought "$2,000 (worth) of cocaine" and partied for five months afterward, when he said he finally realized his condition and quit for good. He quit smoking cigarettes in 1991, and stopped smoking marijuana in 1995. However, a Rolling Stone magazine interview in 2009 indicated that he had resumed regular marijuana smoking.
