‘Wonder Woman’ Star Lynda Carter Shares Pain Following Husband’s Death – His Request Saved Their Marriage & Family

• "Wonder Woman" star Lynda Carter opened up about her grief following her husband's death.
• His plea that she prioritize him and their kids saved their marriage of 37 years and their family.
• Even though he passed, Carter remains a devoted mom who embodies enduring love and resilience.

Hollywood star Lynda Carter, 72, is a globally-known actress in the entertainment industry who is most famous for her captivating role as the iconic heroine Diana Prince aka "Wonder Woman." She starred as the famous fictional DC comic superhero in the ABC series from 1975 to 1979.

Apart from acting, Carter is a singer and has won various titles competing in beauty pageants. In 1972, she was crowned Miss World USA and placed in the top 15 of the Miss World pageant.

More than just a Tinseltown star, Carter has been a wife twice, and she is a doting mom to two grown-up kids, Jessica and James Altman, whom she shares with her late second husband. Prior to marrying Robert A. Altman, the co-founder and CEO of ZeniMax Media, the "Sky High" star tied the knot with a producer named Ron Samuels in her 20s.

Though their marriage lasted for a couple of years, Carter admitted that her decision to marry Samuels was not necessarily her smartest one. Of the advice she would give her younger self, Carter disclosed, "Don't marry the first person that proposes to you! He was a lot older, and I was just stupid."

In 1984, she married Robert, whom she said made her laugh and always knew what to do to calm her down. The couple stayed together for 37 years before Robert sadly passed away in 2021.

When he died, his company released a statement which read: "We are deeply saddened...He was a true visionary, friend, and believer in the spirit of people and the power of what they could accomplish together. He was an extraordinary leader, and an even better human being."

Lynda Carter on Her Alcoholism, the Plea Her Husband Made to Her before He Died, and Her Grief

Robert was undoubtedly one to believe in the spirit of people, as before he passed, he helped his beloved wife with an issue she had been facing for years. Carter previously shared her struggles with alcohol, which started in her mid-twenties, a time when she found herself in an unhappy marriage with Samuels.

Although Carter misses her beloved and best friend, returning to music has been incredibly therapeutic for her.

The "Hawkeye" talent revealed, "I would stop drinking for two or three years, then start again and it just felt terrible." Though she drank because she was unhappy, a source states that Carter's family also had a history of alcoholism.

Carter admitted that she would drink excessively because she did not deal with the emotional scars and difficulties rendered from her first marriage. By the time she married Robert, her alcoholism had escalated to the point where she said she wasn't present for her children at times. This then had adverse implications on both her second marriage and her family as a whole.

In an interview she did in 2021, a month before Robert died, Carter spoke about being in recovery from alcohol for 23 years, an achievement Robert had been instrumental in helping her accomplish.

While speaking about her alcoholism in a previous interview, Carter mentioned how her late husband urged her to stop drinking for the sake of him and their family. Carter said, "Finally my husband asked me: 'Can't you just stop this, for the children and for me?'"

Robert's plea catapulted Carter's decision to check herself into a rehabilitation facility to sober up and retake hold of her life. His urge for her to combat her alcohol problem was essentially the catalyst that initiated the saving of their marriage and family.

Since she sobered up, she's used her platform and story to destigmatize alcoholism and help others who are facing the same struggles she did. Far from being worried about feeling a compulsion to return to drinking, Carter said she undoubtedly knows that she will never have another drink again.

Instead, she has been focused on maintaining her health and does so by swimming, lifting weights, skiing, taking walks, rowing boats on rivers, and doing pilates and yoga.

Naturally, when her loving spouse, who helped her reclaim her life and focus on her health and family, passed away from myelofibrosis, Carter was devastated. She expressed that she feels lost without him: "It's totally frightening. I don't know who I am without Robert...I just can't believe I've lost him."

While speaking about her pain and grief, Carter also mentioned the things she misses most about Robert. In this regard, she shared, "I miss the everyday things: saying good morning, goodbye, good night. What would you like for dinner? Simple things. Just having your best friend there for you."

Lynda Carter Shared How She Is Coping and Remains a Devoted Mom, Embodying Enduring Love and Resilience

Although Carter misses her beloved and best friend, returning to music has been incredibly therapeutic for her. Since Robert's passing, the singer has released a tribute song dedicated to her late husband and the love they shared, called "Human and Divine."

Carter has also had solid support and love from her kids, James and Jessica. Jessica was actually the one to encourage her mom to get back into music and start writing songs again.

Jessica and her brother have also helped their mom feel more comfortable with putting herself back out there in the dating pool now that it's been three years since their father's death. Of their words of encouragement, Carter explained, "My kids are for me. They're like, 'Mom, if you want to date, you should!'"

Despite the significant loss Carter has faced and the struggles she had to overcome in her past, she remains a devoted mother to James and Jessica. James, 35, is an attorney, while his sister, Jessica, 33, is a singer and songwriter on the rise who used to work as a litigation associate.

As a mom of two kids who are now in their 30s, Carter has reveled in being a part of the milestones James and Jessica have achieved as adults, like when Jessica got married earlier this year. Jessica's beau first got her mom's stamp of approval after the mother and son-in-law met following Jessica gushing about him to Carter when they had first started dating.

Carter has been a mom who leads with enduring love and resilience for her kids. Of all the roles she has played in her life, she deems being a mom her favorite.

Currently, the devoted mom is focused on her music career, and she says that though she has no concrete plans to take her music on tour, she is not closed to the idea should she be met with the right opportunities and should Jessica feel inclined to join her.