Merle Haggard passed away in 2016 on his 79th birthday. He died of double pneumonia, his manager shared. He left behind a large family, including his wife Theresa Ann Lane and his six children. The photo above shows Haggard with his youngest children, Ben and Jenessa, when they were young. It was shared by Merle Haggard’s Twitter account.
He and his wife, Theresa Ann Lane, had two children: Ben Haggard and Jenessa Haggard Bennett. He and his first wife, Leona Hobbs, had four children: two sons, Marty and Noel, and two daughters, Dana and Kelli. Media sources also say that he has another son, Scott Haggard, that he didn’t find out about until 2004.
Merle Haggard had 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, as of 2009. He told Rolling Stone, “It’s a strange feeling to be the one in charge of what some people might call a dynasty. They expect me to have answers, even when I don’t.”
