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On This Day: Alan Jackson and Wife Denise Celebrating 41st Anniversary

Country music star, Alan Jackson, and his wife Denise, are celebrating their 41st wedding anniversary today.

The country singer knows “It Must Be Love” after growing up together. From high school to getting started in country music to now years in the industry, nothing has been able to break the power duo apart.

High School Country Sweethearts

So, has it been all easy for the 41 years of marriage?

Any relationship provides its difficulties. This isn’t any different for Jackson and his wife, who have one of the longest-lasting relationships in country music. The singer has admitted before that he has to work on his marriage every day.

According to Country Now, the two met in high school. They then got married and moved to Nashville, the best place for Jackson to pursue his love for country music. The two started their family, which now consists of three daughters, right as his career was headed up. The family built an 18,622 square foot home on 135 acres of land right outside of Nashville.

After a chance meeting between his wife and Glen Campbell, Jackson had a little help from the inside on getting his first publishing deal. He released his debut album “Here in the Real World” in 1990.

Despite appearing to have a perfect marriage, the two hit a few tough spots over the years. The biggest one caused them to separate for a few months.

Alan Jackson and Denise Hit Rough Patch

According to a Taste of Country article, in February of 1998, the two announced they were separating. It was because “things weren’t quite right.” They went to therapy to try to save what was an 18-year marriage with multiple kids.

In her book “It’s All About Him: Finding the Love of My Life,” she explains how the two became a cohesive pair again. She discussed the book on an episode of the “Today Show.”

“Alan has such a strong personality, and the more his career grew, the more insecure I felt, and the more I absorbed myself into his world. My dreams became his dreams, and it was all about him and his goals, and I kind of lost myself,” she said.

The two sorted out their differences and go back together. They once again learned to be their own individual selves, while also a part of healthy marriage. Things were going great, they had even renewed their wedding vows for their 19th wedding anniversary.

Then, physical health became a problem in their marriage. Denise got the news that she has colorectal cancer. She has been cancer-free now since 2012.

“She’s doing great … Of course, you have to get a scan every few months to check on everything, and it’s all been clear and looking good. She didn’t lose all her hair, but it did get pretty thin. She’s looking better now. She’s probably more healthy than she’s ever been now because she watches what she eats and does, and now she’s wearing me out! Everything’s looking good. I appreciate everybody’s prayers and concerns,” Alan Jackson told The Boot in 2012.

Through sickness and health, through country music, through high school, through children, and through separation, the pair has seen it all.