- Cindy Williams was a successful actress known for her work on Laverne & Shirley and more.
- She was only married once, to Bill Hudson.
- Bill is notably also the ex-husband to actress Goldie Hawn.
- On Jan. 30, 2023, news broke that Cindy had died just five days prior at the age of 75.
Golden Globe-nominated actress Cindy Williams was known for her time on the hit show Laverne & Shirley and more. Some of the other projects she worked on during her many decades in Hollywood also include George Lucas‘ American Graffiti, The First Nudie Musical, Happy Days, and more. When the late 75-year-old wasn’t busy wowing on the set of amazing shows and movies, she was busy raising her kids and spending time with her then-husband. Below is everything to know about Cindy’s marriage to musician Bill Hudson, 73, their life, and more amid the news of her death.
Who Was Cindy Williams’ Husband?
Cindy was married only one time during her life. The late beauty met Bill when she was 35 years old and he was 33. Bill and his then-bride tied the knot in 1982 and had a long marriage that lasted until they divorced in 2000. There is not a lot that is publicly known about the private details of Cindy and Bill’s marriage, however, it is clear that it didn’t end up working out for the two.
Prior to Cindy, Bill was married to Death Becomes Her star Goldie Hawn, 77, from 1976 until they divorced six years later. The falling out of this duo’s marriage was more public, with both of them speaking about it various times in recent years. During a 2016 interview on Loose Women, the blonde bombshell revealed why she wouldn’t re-marry after Bill. “We’ve been married before and it didn’t work so why do it again?”, Goldie said regarding her decades-long romance with actor Kurt Russell, 71.
Unfortunately, in 2011 Bill shared some words about Goldie to The Daily Mail, in which he slammed their time together. “I am sick and tired of her portraying this squeaky-clean image to the world when the reality of her life is so different. She is manipulative, cruel and selfish. I have done this book because I want to show the flip side of the Hollywood dream. I got caught up in Goldie’s world and I am still paying a painful price,” Bill said at the time. He released about his life that year titled 2 Versions: The Other Side of Fame and Family Bill Hudson. The musician and Goldie welcomed two kids: actress Kate Hudson, 43, and their son Oliver Hudson, 46.
Did Cindy & Bill Have Kids?
During Cindy’s marriage to Bill, they then-couple welcomed two kids. During their first year as a married couple, The First Nudie Musical star and Bill welcomed a daughter, Emily Hudson, 41, in 1982. Emily came into their lives as Cindy was filming the seventh season of Laverne & Shirley, which she revealed during a 2015 interview with the TODAY show. “I thought I was going to come back and they’d hide [her baby bump] behind benches, couches, pillows, and that wasn’t it,” she said at the time. “When it came time for me to sign my contract for that season, they had me working on my due date to have my baby. I said, ‘You know, I can’t sign this.’ And it went back and forth and back and forth, and it just never got worked out. Right after that, [shows] would build nurseries on sets.”
Later, Cindy gave birth to her son Zachary Hudson, 37, in 1986. Although her two adult children live a life out the public eye, they did show up to support their mom during her 2004 Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. Emily and Zachary are notably the half-siblings of Kate and Oliver. The Almost Famous star opened up about wanting to reconnect with her dad’s kids during a Jan. 2021 episode of her podcast, Sibling Revelry.
“You know what I’ve been thinking about lately? Dad,” Kate told Oliver at the time. “I’ve been thinking about our sisters that we don’t spend any time with and our brother — brothers. We’ve got four siblings we don’t spend any time with.” The blonde beauty continued, “We’ve been talking so much about sibling relationships and distraught relationships or good relations — and we’re sitting here like we have the best family, we’re so great and yet we don’t ever acknowledge the fact that we have four other siblings.”
Cindy’s Passing
Sadly, the phenomenal Hollywood starlet died at the age of 75 on Jan. 25, 2023, as confirmed by her family via a statement to AP. “The passing of our kind, hilarious mother, Cindy Williams, has brought us insurmountable sadness that could never truly be expressed,” the statement via their rep read. “Knowing and loving her has been our joy and privilege. She was one of a kind, beautiful, generous and possessed a brilliant sense of humor and a glittering spirit that everyone loved.” According to her kids, Cindy passed away following a “brief illness” in Los Angeles.