Sad Story Of How Bobbie Nelson Lost Two Of Her Three Sons To Leukemia

After returning to music, late American pianist and singer, Bobbie Nelson, faced a personal crisis that almost broke her.

In 1989, she lost two of her three sons within a period of six months.

Michael died because of leukemia and Randy died in a car crash.

Following the tragedy, she said, “Me and my three boys grew up together, and we had so much fun … and then to lose two of your three babies, well, it’s something you never get over. It taught me to never take life for granted.”

Bobbie was just a teen when she tied the knot with aspiring musician Bud Fletcher, who started a band with her and her brother. But unfortunately, Fletcher died in a car accident in 1961, leaving her on her own with three young sons.

After Fletcher’s death, Bobbie began working as a secretary but she did not stay away from music for long and eventually reunited with her brother in 1973.

The pair went on to produce some marvelous albums, like ‘Shotgun Willie,’ ‘Red Headed Stranger,’ and ‘The Willie Nelson Family’.

“There’s just no way to explain how lucky I am to have a good musician in the family. Whenever I’ve needed a piano player, I’ve had Sister Bobbie right there… Whenever our band plays, Sister Bobbie is the best musician on the stage,” Willie had said in 2018.

For most of her life, Bobbie worked alongside Willie, who is two years younger than her, and she was happy about it.

In 2008, Bobbie, who was 76 years old at the time, released her first solo album “Audiobiography,” which included “ten ragtime standards like ‘12 Street Rag’ and Willie’s ‘Crazy,’ reimagined as a lounge number.”

Bobbie Nelson, died on March 10, 2022 at age 91, from a natural cause.