Jackie Witte did not re-marry after her divorce from Paul Newman. She remained single till she died at the age of 64 in the year 1993, some 35 years after her divorce from Paul in the year 1958.
The cause of Jackie Witte’s death was never disclosed, and no public obituary was published. But be that as it may, Jackie lived what many people might consider an unfulfilled life as her marriage to Paul was short-lived though they both married quite early.
Where Is Jackie Witte Now? Is She Still Alive?
Jackie Witte is no longer alive; she lived till her 64th birthday before she died. Jackie, whose full name was Jacqueline “Jackie” Emilie Witte was an American woman born sometime in September in the year 1929. There are no publicly available records about her parent’s identity and whether or not she had siblings. In like manner, details of her childhood life are also far-fetched, but considering the time she was born, it is understandable why this is so.
While she lived, Jackie was noted to be a tall blonde woman with dark eyes who aspired to be an actress after World War II (1st Sept 1939 – 2nd Sept 1945). Like her then-husband Paul Newman, Jackie Witte got married to Paul as her first husband at the age of 19 while Paul was 24 at the time. Paul was an American Naval officer, while Jackie was an aspiring actress and still in college.
Jackie Witte Became Paul Newman’s Wife in 1949 and Had 3 Kids for Him
The young couple met for the first time at a summer stage work and shortly after, they got married on the 27th of December 1949 and settled in a small town. Within a few months of being together, the couple relocated to Illinois Chicago where they secured work at the Woodstock Theatre Company.
A year after their nuptials, Paul and Jackie welcomed their first child who they named Scott Newman in 1950, and in 1953, their second child Susan Newman joined the family. By 1954, Stephanie Kendall Newman became the 5th member of Paul and Jackie Newman’s family; their third and youngest child.
The Couple Changed Careers so Their Marriage Could Thrive
During their childbearing years, Jackie and Paul made a lot of sacrifices with their budding careers so their young family could thrive. When Jackie was with her first child, Paul almost gave up on his theatre career and at a later time had to relocate to Cleveland, Ohio (when his father died) to manage their family business.
Jackie on her own part had to put her acting career on hold in pursuit of perhaps a less demanding modeling career. She frequented New York via train in search of modeling jobs and over time she became a full-time model. While Jackie Witte was pregnant with her second child, Paul Newman almost dropped out of Yale University where he was studying for a master’s degree in theatre. He ventured into academics with the assumption that if he ended up not being successful in acting, he could at least become a theatre lecturer and still live decently.
After a year of trying, he eventually called it quits with his studies at Yale University and instead ventured into acting full-time in New York. Over time, Paul’s acting career began to grow. However, as his acting career blossomed, his marriage suffered, what with his constant absence away from home. And even Jackie’s constant pleas for Paul to make out time for their family couldn’t help save their marriage. It turned out that Paul had already gotten acquainted with a fellow theatre performer named Joanne Woodward; he met her in the year 1953.
Jackie Witte and Paul Newman Divorced in 1958
The birth of Jackie and Paul Newman’s third child, Stephanie Newman, could not save their already deteriorating marriage. To worsen it all, Paul landed a film role in Manhattan which would have him away from his wife Jackie but instead in the arms of Joanne Woodward. Away from his family, Paul had ample time to party and bond with his new bae and this perhaps made it obvious that Jackie had lost the man she loved and married at a tender age.
The demands of raising 3 children all by herself were enough work on its own and to be able to meet up with her motherly duties, Jackie had to abandon acting entirely. It was reported that this decision of her’s distanced Paul more from Jackie because to him, acting was everything.
Over time, Paul Newman admitted to Jackie Witte that he was in love with another woman and had decided to spend the rest of his life with her. Jackie held on for some time hoping that she would somehow win her man back, but news of Joane being pregnant with Paul’s child made it clear that it was time for her to move on. In 1958, Jackie Witte reluctantly signed the divorce papers as requested by Paul Newman. Paul also married Joanne in that same year and relocated his family to Connecticut away from the spotlight.
Meet Paul Newman and Jackie Witte’s 3 Children
In the course of their shortlived 9 years of marriage (1949 to 1958), Paul Newman and Jackie Witte had 3 children namely Allan Scott Newman, Susan Newman, and Nell Newman.
Their first child Scott was born on September 23, 1950, in Cleveland, Ohio, while Susan Newman was born on February 21, 1953, in New York City, and the youngest Stephanie Newman was born in 1954. Scott has however died, his death was, as a result, an accidental drug-and-alcohol overdose on November 20, 1978. Before his dmily members was already pursuing a career as an actor like most of his family members and stuntman.
Susan also pursued an acting career briefly with her role in her father’s 1977 film Slahot. Later on, she also starred in films like A Wedding before venturing into film production. On the other hand, Stephanie Newman seemed not to have been interested in maintaining the family’s legacy in Hollywood. Her elder sister once described her as a “free-spirited farmer-writer-painter”. Perhaps, she chose to pursue other career interests in farming, writing, and painting.
Jackie Witte is Survived by Her Two Daughters
While Jackie died in 1993 at the age of 64, Paul on the other hand lived till the age of 83 before he died in September 2008 due to his deteriorating health caused by lung cancer. Jackie Witte and Paul Newman are survived by their two remaining biological daughters Susan Kendall Newman and Stephanie Newman on one hand. Paul on the other is survived by his second wife Joanne Woodward, and their 3 children Nell Newman, Melissa Newman, and Clea Newman. Being the star he is, a documentary titled The Last Movie Stars by HBO Max series was made in memory of Paul Newman, his wives Jackie Witte and Joanne Woodward, and their children.