We're re-sharing this article as part of Willie Week, our week-long celebration of the life and music of Willie Nelson ahead of the music icon's 89th birthday on April 29.
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Willie Nelson is one of the greatest names in country music, but did you know that he has some incredibly talented children? Get to know Willie's kids and read on for some things you might have not known about the Willie Nelson family.
Willie Nelson's Children
Lana Nelson
Lana was born out of Willie's first marriage to Martha Matthews. She had a bit part in Willie's 1986 film Red Headed Stranger and also worked in the costume department. While she isn't a performer like some of her siblings, she's clearly still very present in the Nelson family business and is frequently seen on Nelson's social media accounts.
Susie Nelson
Susie was the second child from Willie's marriage to Martha Matthews. She wrote a book about her experience of having a famous father in 1987 called, Heart Worn Memories: A Daughter's Personal Biography of Willie Nelson.
She was the co-host of "Susie's Gospel Hour" with Willie on his Sirius XM channel Willie's Roadhouse back in 2012. As evidenced by the above clip, she can also sing like her siblings.
Billy Nelson
Billy was the youngest child of Martha and Willie. Sadly, he died by suicide in 1991, early on Christmas Day. Before he passed away, he recorded this gospel tune that he had written as a duet with his father.
Paula Nelson
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Paula Carlene Nelson is the daughter of Nelson and Connie Koepke. She was born while Nelson was still married to Shirley Collie Nelson. This led to a divorce and Nelson then married Koepke.
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Paula inherited her father's country singer-songwriter gifts, recording five of her own albums with the Paula Nelson Band including Under the Influence in 2014. She is the host of her own show on the Outlaw Country channel on Sirius XM. She is also well known for her duet with her father, "Have You Ever Seen the Rain," on his 2013 album To All the Girls.... The song recently gained some extra attention for being featured on the soundtrack for the hit HBO series, Big Little Lies.
Amy Lee Nelson
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Amy Lee is the only other child that came from Nelson's marriage with Connie Koepke. She's in an Austin, Texas musical group with Cathy Guthrie called Folk Uke. The duo has released two albums with guest appearances from their famous dads (Cathy's father is Arlo Guthrie).
Lukas Nelson
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Lukas Autry Nelson is the first born child from Willie and his current wife, Annie D'Angelo. His band, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, is based in California. Since their debut EP, Brando's Paradise Sessions, the band has been making a name for themselves at the top of the charts. They were also the backing band for Bradley Cooper in the 2018 film A Star Is Born. Lukas also served as a vocal coach for Cooper in the film and co-wrote many of the songs featured in the film.
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Micah Nelson
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The youngest son from D'Angelo and Willie is also a musician. He has recently been gaining notoriety for his rock band, Particle Kid. He has also toured with his father and brother so you know he knows what he's doing.
Willie learned about an eighth child, an adult daughter named Renee, in 2012.
This story first ran on June 26, 2020.
This article was originally published in October of 2019.
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READ MORE: The Loves of Willie's Life from Martha Matthews to Annie D'Angelo
