Question: Ray Charles FAQ -- Marriages and children
Answer: Ray Charles had two wives during his lifetime, and fathered twelve children, the first without his knowledge. Ray's first marriage lasted only a year, and is not even mentioned in the movie "Ray" as a result; his second marriage, to backup singer Della Beatrice Howard Robinson, lasted 22 years. This does not mean that Charles was faithful to either... he was well-known for his philandering, introducing himself to women he liked by pretending to be more helpless than he was. The marriages Guide at About.com (actually a married couple!) lists all of Ray's children and their mothers at their marriages of Ray Charles page.
