Debbie and her third and last hustband Richard Hamlett #DebbieReynolds #RichardHamlett
Debbie Reynolds had been married three times in her life and her third husband was a real estate developer named Richard Hamlett. The two were married for 12 years, from 1984 until 1996 and the marriage ended in divorce. Reynolds has passed away after reports of a stroke, according to TMZ. Get to know the part of her life she spent with Hamlett.
1. Hamlett Proposed to Reynolds On Their First Date
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It was on their first date that Hamlett proposed to Reynolds. In an interview with People, Hamlett dished:
I had known her through the movies and had this vision of this sweet gal next door. And by dessert, I said to myself: ‘She really is Tammy.’
Reynolds’ initial response was, “You belong in a home!” But, People reported all three of Reynolds’ husbands had mentioned marriage by their second date.
2. Reynolds’ Kids Initially Approved of Hamlett
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Eddie Fisher was the father of Debbie Reynolds’ two children, Carrie and Todd Fisher. Fortunately for Richard Hamlett, her children were fans of his when they got together. Carrie Fisher once told People:
My father was once a druggie. Harry was a gambler. Richard is the closest our family is going to get to a regular guy.
Unfortunately, when Reynolds wrote her 1988 memoir, “Debbie: My Life,” she called Hamlett “the devil.”
3. The Couple Appeared In an Exercise Video Together
Because Reynolds traveled a lot for work, then-husband Hamlett would try to travel and be at her side when he could. He once told People:
Sometimes when I check into her hotel, the desk clerk asks if I’m Mr. Reynolds. I just tell them I go by my maiden name.
Reynolds and Hamlett even once appeared together in her exercise video “Couples Do It Debbie’s Way.” And, the NY Post previously reported that Hamlett was also a co-producer on her traveling theatrical production of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.”
4. Reynolds Said She Married All the Wrong Men
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In an interview with The Express last year, Reynolds talked about her three failed marriages, saying she had terrible taste in men. Reynolds explained:
My marriages have been one of the greatest voids in my life … I have very poor taste in men and i married all the wrong men. I’ve never found the right man and never hope to at this age … I am still unmarried and all the wonderful men who i met then married somebody else.
Reynolds was not married at the time of her death and Hamlett was her last husband.
5. Their Marriage Ended With a Mistress And Strange Behavior According to Reynolds
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As reported by the NY Post, the couple met at a party when taping a television special in Reno, Nevada. Years later, The NY Post reports that Hamlett encouraged Reynolds to purchase a Las Vegas hotel called the Paddlewheel and renovate it. When Reynolds performed at the hotel’s re-opening, she said she noticed Hamlett leave in the middle of the show. Reynolds said that he disappeared for almost two days to be with his mistress and that Hamlett had also changed the deed of her Bel Aire mansion to include both of their names, without her knowledge.
When Reynolds confronted Hamlett, she said that he was insisting on finishing the conversation on her balcony and she was frightened. She wrote in her memoir:
Why did he seem so intent on getting me out to the balcony, which is only about 3 feet wide — not enough room to have a friendly conversation? Was he thinking about my million-dollar life insurance policy with him as a beneficiary? I could practically see the dollar signs floating above his head. I was sure he was going to toss me off the balcony. One shove and all his troubles would be over. I pictured myself plummeting twelve floors to the pavement.
Reynolds hid and Hamlett eventually left the home.