Introduction
Della Beatrice Howard Robinson, often called Della Bea Robinson or simply Bea, is best known as the second and longest-married wife of legendary American musician Ray Charles. Their marriage lasted for more than two decades and covered some of the most important years of Charles’ extraordinary career. While Ray became an international music icon, Della concentrated largely on family life and raising their three sons. Her story therefore provides a more personal perspective on the man behind classics such as “Georgia on My Mind” and “Hit the Road Jack.”
Interest in Della has continued long after her 1977 divorce from Ray Charles. Questions about her age, children, current whereabouts, relationship with Margie Hendricks, and whether she is still alive remain common. Her portrayal by Kerry Washington in the acclaimed 2004 film Ray introduced her story to another generation. Yet Della has always been far more private than her famous former husband, and some details repeated about her online—including her exact birthday, current status, and personal fortune—remain difficult to confirm.
Quick Bio
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Della Beatrice Howard Robinson |
| Also Known As | Della Bea Robinson, Bea Robinson |
| Known For | Second and longest-married wife of Ray Charles |
| Reported Birth Year | 1929 |
| Exact Birthday | Not reliably confirmed |
| Birthplace | United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Reportedly a gospel singer; later focused on family life |
| Former Husband | Ray Charles |
| Marriage Date | April 5, 1955 |
| Divorce Year | 1977 |
| Marriage Duration | About 22 years |
| Children | 3 sons |
| Sons | Ray Charles Robinson Jr., David Robinson, Robert Robinson |
| Famous Connection | Ray Charles |
| Ray Charles’ First Wife | Eileen Williams |
| Portrayed By | Kerry Washington in Ray (2004) |
| Current Status | Not reliably confirmed by authoritative public sources |
| Current Residence | Not publicly confirmed |
| Net Worth | Not reliably disclosed |
| Public Profile | Largely private after her divorce |
Who Is Della Beatrice Howard Robinson?
Della Beatrice Howard Robinson became an important figure in Ray Charles’ personal life when the two met in Texas in 1954. She was known as Della Bea or Bea and reportedly had a background connected with gospel music. Although she became internationally recognizable because of her marriage, she did not seek the same level of public attention as Ray. Her life became closely tied to his rapidly developing career, and she witnessed his transformation from a talented young musician into one of the most influential recording artists of the twentieth century.
A 1929 birth year is widely reported for Della, although a firmly documented exact birthday is much harder to establish. This makes claims about her precise age difficult to verify. She is also sometimes mistakenly described as Ray Charles’ first wife. In reality, Ray had previously married Eileen Williams in 1951, but that marriage lasted only a short time. Della was his second wife, and their 22-year marriage was by far his longest. Her importance in Ray’s life consequently extended far beyond a brief celebrity relationship.
How Della Bea Robinson Met Ray Charles
Della met Ray Charles in Texas in 1954, when both were still relatively young and Ray was developing his career in music. Their connection grew quickly, and they married on April 5, 1955. The timing was significant because Charles was approaching the period when his combination of gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and other musical traditions would transform him into a major star. Della entered his life before the full scale of that fame arrived, meaning she experienced both the struggles and extraordinary successes that accompanied his rise.
The early marriage brought major changes almost immediately. Their first son was born shortly after the wedding, while Ray’s career required extensive traveling, recording, and performing. As his popularity increased, the demands placed on the family became greater. Della was therefore not simply married to an established wealthy celebrity from the beginning; she lived through the process by which Ray Charles became one. Their relationship developed alongside his career, and the enormous difference between Ray the family man and Ray Charles the entertainer would eventually become one of the defining tensions in their marriage.
Della Beatrice Howard Robinson and Ray Charles’ Marriage
Della and Ray remained married from 1955 until 1977. During these years, Ray Charles achieved remarkable commercial and artistic success. His recordings crossed musical boundaries, while his distinctive voice, piano playing, and arrangements made him internationally famous. Della remained an important presence at home while Ray spent long periods recording and touring. Their family eventually lived in the View Park area of California, providing a home base while Charles’ career took him around the world.
Life inside the marriage, however, was far more complicated than Ray’s professional achievements suggested. Della had to cope with the pressures created by his touring schedule, heroin addiction, and relationships with other women. Ray later acknowledged the strain that his addiction placed on his wife. Della’s perspective on the marriage also revealed a distinction between the husband she knew personally and the celebrity known by millions. That complicated relationship later became an important part of the story told in the film Ray, although the real marriage naturally contained far more detail than a movie could present.
Children of Della Beatrice Howard Robinson
Della and Ray Charles had three sons together: Ray Charles Robinson Jr., David Robinson, and Robert Robinson. Ray Charles Robinson Jr., their eldest child, was born on May 25, 1955, shortly after his parents married. David followed in 1958, while Robert was born in 1960. Della therefore spent much of the marriage raising three children while Ray’s career demanded extensive time away from home. Her role as a mother became one of the most important aspects of her life during these years.
Ray Charles Robinson Jr. later became more publicly visible and worked in entertainment as a producer and actor. The three sons were only part of Ray Charles’ much larger family, however. Ray fathered 12 children with several different women over the course of his life. This sometimes creates confusion when discussing Della’s children. Her children with Ray were specifically Ray Jr., David, and Robert. The other children had different mothers, making Della the mother of three of Ray Charles’ twelve acknowledged children rather than all of them.
Margie Hendricks and Della Beatrice Howard Robinson
One of the most complicated chapters in Della and Ray’s marriage involved Margie Hendricks, a singer associated with the Raelettes. Hendricks became professionally and personally involved with Ray Charles while he was married to Della. Their relationship developed into a long affair, and Ray and Margie had a son together, Charles Wayne Hendricks, who was born in 1959. Margie therefore became closely connected with Ray during the same period when Della was raising their family.
Margie Hendricks was not another wife of Ray Charles, despite occasional confusion surrounding the women in his life. Della remained Ray’s legal wife throughout his relationship with Hendricks. Ray also had relationships with other women during his marriage, and these affairs contributed to the difficulties Della experienced. The contrast between his family life and relationships on the road illustrates the enormous personal cost that accompanied his fame. For Della, the situation meant balancing motherhood and marriage while dealing with circumstances that repeatedly challenged their relationship.
Why Della Beatrice Howard Robinson Divorced Ray Charles
The marriage eventually became impossible to sustain. Ray’s heroin addiction was one of its most serious problems. He struggled with the drug for many years before eventually overcoming his dependence in the 1960s. His frequent touring and relationships outside the marriage created additional strain. Although Della remained with him through much of his addiction and enormous rise to fame, the accumulation of these difficulties eventually contributed to the breakdown of their relationship.
Della ultimately filed for divorce, and their marriage officially ended in 1977, approximately 22 years after their wedding. The divorce closed the longest marriage of Ray Charles’ life. Ray never entered another marriage of comparable duration. Della, meanwhile, increasingly moved outside the public spotlight after their separation. While Ray continued recording, touring, and appearing before international audiences, his former wife largely avoided building a public identity around their marriage or divorce.
Della Bea Robinson in the Movie Ray
Della’s life became familiar to millions of moviegoers through the 2004 biographical drama Ray. Jamie Foxx portrayed Ray Charles in a performance that earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor, while Kerry Washington portrayed Della Bea Robinson. The film explored Charles’ career alongside his addiction, family relationships, affairs, and personal struggles. Della’s character consequently became essential to showing the private consequences of Ray’s choices beyond his musical achievements.
Washington did more than simply rely on a screenplay when preparing for the role. She discussed meeting the real Della Robinson and learning about her experiences directly. Screenwriter James L. White also spoke with Della while developing the story. These interactions are particularly valuable because Della rarely gave extensive public accounts of her life. The film remains a dramatization rather than a documentary, but her participation helped provide the filmmakers with a personal perspective on the marriage and offers strong evidence that Della was alive during the development of the film.
Is Della Beatrice Howard Robinson Still Alive?
Whether Della is still alive has become one of the most confusing questions surrounding her biography. Some modern websites describe her as living privately, while genealogy-related pages have circulated an alleged death date in 1986. That early death claim is difficult to reconcile with documented accounts of Kerry Washington and screenwriter James L. White communicating with Della while preparing Ray, which was released in 2004. For this reason, claims that she died in 1986 should not be presented as established history.
At the same time, there is insufficient recent authoritative evidence to confidently declare Della alive today. No widely documented recent interview or official public appearance clearly establishes her current status. Searches for a Della Beatrice Howard Robinson obituary also create problems because numerous unrelated people have carried similar names. The most accurate conclusion is therefore that her present living status is not reliably established in authoritative public records available to the general public. Her confirmed participation in discussions surrounding Ray establishes that she lived well beyond the alleged 1986 death date, but her current situation remains private.
Where Is Della Beatrice Howard Robinson Now?
Following her divorce, Della chose a significantly quieter path than Ray Charles. She did not establish a high-profile entertainment career, publish a stream of memoirs, or regularly discuss their marriage in the media. Her willingness to speak with people involved in Ray showed that she remained connected to the historical telling of her former husband’s story, but it did not lead to a permanent return to public life. Consequently, reliable details about her current residence and daily activities are extremely limited.
Her finances are similarly private. Various websites assign Della a specific net worth, sometimes claiming figures in the millions, but these estimates lack dependable financial documentation. Ray Charles himself accumulated substantial wealth through his extraordinary career, but his former wife’s finances cannot simply be calculated from his success. Details of any divorce settlement also should not be transformed into a modern net-worth figure without evidence. It is more accurate to say that Della Beatrice Howard Robinson’s personal net worth has never been reliably disclosed.
Conclusion
Della Beatrice Howard Robinson was much more than a name attached to Ray Charles’ extraordinary career. Known affectionately as Della Bea, she met Ray in Texas in 1954 and married him in April 1955. Their marriage lasted 22 years and produced three sons: Ray Charles Robinson Jr., David Robinson, and Robert Robinson. During those years, Della witnessed Ray’s transformation into a global music legend while simultaneously dealing with the difficult realities created by his touring, addiction, and extramarital relationships, including his relationship with Margie Hendricks.
Their divorce in 1977 marked the beginning of a much more private chapter in Della’s life. Decades later, she contributed personal insight to the people creating Ray, and Kerry Washington brought her story to the screen. Despite continued curiosity about her age, death, obituary, current whereabouts, and finances, Della has remained an intensely private figure. Claims about an exact birthday, present location, net worth, or current living status should therefore be treated carefully. What remains certain is that Della Bea Robinson played an important role in Ray Charles’ personal story during the most transformative decades of his remarkable life.
