Meet Gregory Hines’ 1st Wife & the Mother of His Only Daughter 53 Years after Their Wedding

Gregory Hines was married twice in his lifetime. His first marriage was to Patricia Panella, with whom he shared his only daughter, Daria.

Gregory Hines was a celebrated tap dancer, actor, director, and musician. He is one of the world's most celebrated tap dancers of all time and is best known for his roles in "Wolfen," "The Cotton Club," and "Running Sacred."

Gregory is also notable for "The Gregory Hines Show," and for playing Ben on "Will & Grace." He also voiced Big Bill on the animated children's TV program, "Little Bill," which aired on Nick Jr. from 1999 to 2004.

In his lifetime, he starred in over 40 movies and also made his mark on Broadway. He received multiple awards and recognitions, including a Daytime Emmy Award, a Tony Award, and a Drama Desk Award.

Gregory was born on February 14, 1946, in New York City, New York. His mother was Alma Lola, while his dad was Maurice Robert Hines.

Gregory was introduced to the entertainment industry early after he and his older brother Maurice started tap dancing. The brothers learned tap dancing under the tutelage of Henry Le Tang, a master tap dancer.

Maurice and Gregory were known as The Hines Kids. They performed at the Apollo Theatre, where they learned and gained knowledge from famous performers like Sandman Sims and the Nicholas Brothers.

In 1954, The Hines Kids made their first Broadway appearance in the musical "The Girl in Pink Tights." They changed their professional name to The Hines Brothers as they grew older.

Gregory spent the last five years of his life with his fiancée Negrita Jayde.

Their father later joined their group as a drummer, causing them to change their name once more to Hines, Hines, and Dad. The group performed in several nightclubs and made appearances on Ed Sullivan's and Johnny Carson's shows over the next decade.

In 1968, Gregory married Patricia Panella. A part of the book "Gregory Hines" by Dennis Abrams and Gina De Angelis detailed how he met her.

At the time, Gregory was discovering women and getting to know more about the opposite sex. During a stint at a resort in Catskills, a mountainous resort area northwest of New York City, his mom visited on weekends to do his laundry.

On a weekday, a bunch of guys lured Gregory to the laundry room and told him about the presence of a group of young women.

Gregory later described the laundry room as a great meeting place as the girls showed him how to fold clothes. He said it was the first independent thing he had done away from his mother, and it felt good.

In 1981, Gregory married Pamela Koslow and had a son named Zachary with her.

Patricia was one of the girls Gregory met. He was 22 at the time and felt it was important to establish his own identity separate from his family.

After their wedding, Patricia and Gregory lived in New York City. They welcomed their daughter, Daria Hines, in 1971. However, their marriage ended in divorce in 1973.

That same year, Gregory left Hines, Hines, and Dad due to a dispute between him and his brother. He moved to Venice Beach, California, where he formed the jazz-rock band, Severance.

Gregory later revealed the reason he left his family's group. He said he knew he did not want to work with them anymore, which felt traumatic, as the life he had led since childhood changed irrevocably.

In 1981, Gregory married Pamela Koslow and they had a son named Zachary. He also raised a stepdaughter named Jessica with her. The couple divorced in 2000.

Gregory spent the last five years of his life with his fiancée Negrita Jayde until he died on August 9, 2003, due to liver cancer. He was aged 57.

Today, Gregory's first wife, Patricia, continues to live her life gracefully. She has a close bond with their daughter, Daria, who continuously showers her with love on social media.

Daria celebrated Mother's Day in 2020 by posting a sweet tribute to her mother via her Instagram page. She shared a rare throwback picture of them all smiles and captioned it:

"🌸👯‍♀️happy mothers day Mamacita 🥰🎉🎉🥳 and of course all the moms handling their biz."

On this year's Mother's Day, Daria also celebrated her mom by sharing another throwback picture of them in the 1980s. The snapshot showed the mother-daughter duo smiling while posing in their coats. Daria captioned the post:

"The 80's with my mama❤️❤️happy Mothers day ❤️🥰."

Patricia is also active on Instagram, where she regularly posts pictures of her beautiful moments with friends, family, and loved ones.

On April 27, 2017, she shared a picture of her and Daria posing in front of a white Range Rover and embracing each other. She captioned the post, "Laguna Beach."

That same day, she shared a photo from her birthday celebration for that year. In the snap, she and three kids sat around a table with her delicious-looking birthday cake, which had lit candles around it.

In August 2019, Patricia shared a picture of her and her sister. In the snap, they posed in a garden and smiled excitedly. She wore a black blouse while her sister wore a gray top.

Patricia looked much older in the snap and had white hair. However, she looked healthy and full of life, which is all too good to see.