Bill Wyman, the former bassist for The Rolling Stones, made headlines when he tied the knot with a woman much younger than him.
On June 2, 1989, Bill married Mandy Smith after dating her for approximately five years.
What made this marriage particularly interesting was the significant age difference – Bill was 52 while Mandy was just 19.
But what’s even more astonishing is that their relationship began when Mandy was only 13 years old!
Bill Wyman and Mandy Smith first started dating in 1984, when Mandy was just a teenager and Bill was 47.
Surprisingly, Mandy’s parents approved of their relationship.
In 1986, Bill admitted that he was deeply in love with Mandy and even expressed his intention to reduce his number of s**ual partners.
The proposal took place on Easter Sunday of 1989, with a formal wedding initially planned for June 5.
However, Bill and Mandy decided to make it official beforehand and held a short civil ceremony at a registry office in Suffolk, England.
The grand wedding ceremony eventually took place on June 5, 1989, at St. John’s church in London.
Around 500 guests attended the event, including all of Bill’s bandmates from The Rolling Stones.
Bill continued to be part of the band until his departure in 1993.
During the wedding, Eric Clapton presented Bill with silk pajamas, jokingly implying that at his age, he should not be hopping into bed without proper attire.
Charlie Watts, the Stones’ drummer, reportedly commented, “I’ve never said this would be a good match.”
Unfortunately, Bill Wyman’s marriage to Mandy Smith lasted only nine months.
However, the story doesn’t end there.
After their divorce, Bill’s 31-year-old son, Stephen, went on to marry Mandy’s 46-year-old mother, Patsy.
In the same year, Bill remarried to Suzanne Accosta, who was in her thirties.
Now, let’s imagine a different scenario.
What if Bill and Mandy had stayed together, and Stephen had married Mandy’s mother?
It would have created a complex family dynamic.
Stephen would have become both Mandy’s stepson and stepfather, while Bill would have been his son’s son-in-law in addition to being his father!
And that’s the intriguing tale behind the marriage of Bill Wyman, the bassist of The Rolling Stones, to a much younger woman.
(Acknowledgments to Songfacts.com for providing some of the information used in this article.)
