Richard Williams' Spouses and Kids: A Glimpse into His Private Life

Last year, the world caught a glimpse of former tennis coach Richard Williams' life as he propelled his daughters' success to tennis superstardom in "King Richard." While the film received much praise, earning its lead actor an Academy award, it was only a snippet of quite an eventful life.

Richard Williams' two most well-known children may be tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams, but the former coach had long been a father before they came along. With his first wife, he welcomed five children; with his second, he had two; and with his third, he had one.

His eldest child may have been born out of wedlock, as he is not listed among the kids born to his ex-wives. Richard has nine known biological children, but he is suspected of having more. Sabrina, one of his estranged daughters from his first marriage, accused him of being a "serial cheat."

Before marrying Venus and Serena Williams' mother, Richard left his first wife and kids behind and never looked back. During an exclusive interview, Sabrina opened up about Richard's abandonment and how it led to a life of poverty.

The fruits of his second marriage brought him much affluence and recognition, but the troubles in Richard's life were far from over. When he married a third time, it was to a woman not much older than Serena or Venus. They stayed together for nearly ten years before splitting in 2017, followed by a messy court battle.

Williams Was First Married to Betty Johnson

After graduating from high school in Shreveport, Louisiana, Richard relocated to California. There he met the woman who would become his first wife, the late Betty Johnson. The pair married in 1965 and soon began expanding their family.

Their children are Sabrina, Richard III, Ronner, Reluss, and Reneeka. They all bore their father's last name; however, their eldest sibling was a girl named Katrina. She was born before Richard came along and grew up alongside her five siblings.

Betty and Richard remained together for about eight years before divorcing in 1973, and by then, their relationship had turned sour. Sabrina remembered how much they fought because of her dad's infidelities. She was eight years old with an eight-week-old younger sibling when Richard walked out of her and her family's life, as she recalled:

"How do you leave a baby? I was eight years old, and he left under the pretence 'I'm gonna get you a bike?' I can laugh about it now."

Sabrina was upset about how the "King Richard" movie conveniently omitted Richard's first family as if they never existed. She would have appreciated at least some acknowledgment or reference to his life with Betty.

Long before the movie's release, Richard's absence left Sabrina with anger issues, and she had to seek counseling. Yet, despite eventually getting over his abandonment and believing that he still thought about her and her siblings, Sabrina said she wouldn't attend his funeral and had no desire to meet the rest of his kids.

How the rest of her siblings felt about Richard remained unknown, as they hadn't come forward to express them or make a public statement. On the other hand, Sabrina revealed that she lived in Las Vegas and worked in a hospice. She hoped to work as a children's hospital chaplain in any of the Bible belt states.

Richard's Second Marriage with Oracene Gave the World Two Famous Tennis Players

In 1979, he met Oracene "Brandy" Price. The pair married the following year and relocated to Compton, California, before beginning their family's expansion. On June 17, 1980, they welcomed their first child, Venus Williams.

When she was only seven, Venus started displaying her prowess on the tennis court. She grew up to be one of the world's greatest players, having collected seven Grand Slam titles and five Wimbledon Championships, among many other accolades.

Before her mom tied the knot with Richard, she had been married to the late Yusuf Rasheed. They had three daughters named Lyndrea, Yetunde, and Isha Price. Richard adopted his wife's children and grew quite close to them. When Yetunde tragically died in 2003, he was left quite distraught.

Serena Williams Was Also Born in This Marriage

She drew her first breath on September 26, 1981, and soon started demonstrating her potential as a tennis player. Like her older sister, Serena attended Rick Macci's tennis academy. However, before she was professionally committed to the sport, her dad wanted her and Venus to have a normal childhood.

So Richard pulled them out of national junior tournaments. His decision was also influenced by the racism his daughters faced whenever they attended the said competitions. After her career kicked off, Serena collected numerous impressive accolades, including 23 Grand Slam titles.

She also became a philanthropist, entrepreneur, wife, and mom. Serena and Venus remained close with their half-siblings, Isha and Lyndrea. Their parents, however, separated and divorced in 2002.

Williams' Third Marriage Ended with the Birth of a Child and a Messy Divorce

A few years after his second divorce, Richard moved on with a woman significantly younger than him named Lakeisha Juanita Graham. They married in 2010 and welcomed their son Dylan in 2012. However, things worsened when he turned five, as Richard petitioned for a divorce from Lakiesha.

The court proceedings were intense, with many accusations thrown from each side. According to Lakiesha, Serena had threatened to evict her from her father's house in Florida, which was reportedly under the tennis player's name.

Lakiesha also requested that one of her and Richard's jointly owned properties be sold because she needed financial support. She worried that her chances of receiving her share of his fortune would be prolonged and dim if he died.

On his end, Richard accused Lakeisha of fraud, where she illegally attempted to transfer the terms of ownership of some of his assets to her name. The custody of their son was also a contentious issue; Richard claimed his third ex-wife was an alcoholic, while she expressed her fears of being harmed by him.

William Eldest Son, Chavoita LeSane, Allegedly Takes Care of Him Now

In 2018, Richard suffered a series of strokes that left him "incapacitated" and unable to care for himself amid his divorce battle with Lakiesha. According to outlets, he was left under the care of his eldest son, Chaviota LeSane, an entrepreneur who owned a media production company. This left Serena and Venus Williams to represent their dad.