Willie Nelson, 89 years old is one of the oldest music legends alive. His sister, Bobbie passed away at the age of 91.
Bobbie was born two years before her brother and they were both raised by their grandparents.
Willie wrote in his memoir in 2015, ”Might sound corny, but the truth is we were dirt poor in material possessions, but we were rich in love.”
Bobbie got her music interest from her grandparents and always toured the world alongside her brother.
Bobbie said in the book Me and Sister Bobbie: True Tales of the Family Band, ”Willie and I had always lived with Dad’s parents, Alfred and Nancy Nelson. I was not told why.
I liked the arrangement because our grandparents were kind and caring. But I was also comforted by the knowledge that my mom and dad lived right next to us. Willie and I saw them every day. My parents rounded out my world. So to see that world fall apart scared me to death.”
Bobbie learned how to play the guitar at the age of 5 and started performing at a gospel convention in Texas.
It was quite obvious she was going to be a star. Her grandparents bought her a piano to support her dream.
She started singing with her brother, Willie with the help of their grandmother.
Bobbie said, ”My grandmother was a wonderful teacher.”
During one of Bobbie’s tours, she met her future husband, Bud Fletcher. Bobbie was 16 while Bud was 22 and just returned to the states after serving in world war II.
Bobbie told Austin Chronicle in 2008, “When I got married, Bud immediately organized our first band. He loved Willie, and Willie went with us on all of our dates. He also loved to dance and to drink beer, and he knew all the joints in West and Waco, which Willie and I had never been to. It was a big beginning for me.”
Their marriage came to a tragic end in 1955 and Bobbie Lost custody of their three children, Randy, Michael, and Freddy.
Everything took a toll on her health and had to take a bed in a hospital.
Willie never left her side for a moment and had to move to Forth Worth to always be with her.
A few years later she was able to regain custody of her children and toured around the world with her brother Willie.
Bobbie joined Willie on piano recordings and they were able to make The Troublemaker, Shotgun Willie, and Phases and Stages.
Bobbie lost Randy to a car accident and Micheal to Leukaemia and that’s one of the most awful things that ever happened to her.
At the age of 91, on March 10, 2022, Bobbie breathed her last and went to meet her children.
May her soul rest in Peace. We send our condolences to her family and loved ones.