Guns 'N' Roses' Star Duff McKagan's Wife Susan Holmes Is His Longtime Life Partner

Model and author Susan Holmes and Guns 'N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan have been together for over two decades, and the couple remains inseparable. While their marriage, family, and individual lives have been fulfilling, they weren't without disturbance from a peculiar stalker several years ago.

Susan Holmes and Duff McKagan respect each other's careers and individuality. The couple met on a blind date around 1995, and both fell head over heels for each other. In 2019, Holmes opened up about the encounter, saying her husband was "cute" and "very in shape."

Moreover, Holmes noticed a twinkle in McKagan's eyes, which she affectionately described as "smiling Irish eyes." Their connection blossomed from then onward, and they married in 1999. They welcomed two daughters into their union, Grace, 25, and Mae, 22.

When Holmes spoke about the secret to her marriage with McKagan, she emphasized "showing each other genuine love and respect." Another part of the secret is a regular change of scenery.

McKagan's wife remarked that something about shared experiences with her husband in exotic places helped keep the romance lively. Importantly, the couple also tries to be exemplary role models and good parents for their daughters.

Duff McKagan and Wife Susan Holmes' 22-Year Marriage: "Paradise City"

During an interview with People in November 2021, McKagan and Holmes divulged more details about their relationship and long-lasting marriage. McKagan gushed about his wife, saying he loved everything about her. The Guns 'N' Roses bandmate felt their love life was "amazing."

He said there was never a bad day with his wife; if it was already, she always made it better. Although McKagan explained that he and Holmes would always have each other's backs, he added that Holmes brought an air of "mystique" into their marriage. Holmes emphasized how the balance was central to their dynamic, saying:

"It's a balance. Just knowing and respecting each other's careers. It's a dance. We just genuinely enjoy each other's company a lot. We have a lot of fun."

Holmes and McKagan also spend time with their daughters, Grace, and Mae, by either going to rock shows or catching up over a cup of tea. They have a family band they call the LCD Soundsystem, and the couple sometimes babysits their friends' much younger children.

Susan Holmes Wrote a Book about "The Life I Have Lived"

In 2019, Holmes released her novel "The Velvet Rose," a fictionalized account of her life in the 1990s. During an interview with Hollywood Life, the model revealed that her publisher once advised that sometimes a fictionalized account of a person's life events is more telling of who they are than an autobiography, adding:

"Of course it is fiction, it is a novel, but they say write what you know about, so this is truly the life I have live. This is how I think my story and my book stands out, because I lived this life."

The main character in "The Velvet Rose" is Scarlet, whose life unfolds much like Holmes's. Scarlet is a painter and model who meets Johnny, a bandmate of The Westies, making his rise to superstardom. The story is set in the 1990s in the world's fashion capitals, including New York and Paris.

A Tough Moment in Their Marriage

Matt Sorum's former bandmate, Duff McKagan, and his wife endured a brief scare in 2013 when a man named Story Walker Bannister showed up at their home in Los Angeles after stalking Holmes and their daughters.

Bannister claimed he'd been drawn to the house by destiny and refused to leave. Eventually, he was forcefully escorted out by the authorities, and Holmes filed a temporary restraining order forbidding him from being within 100 yards of the McKagan family.