Like the great singer, Chaka Khan’s marriages nurtured a respect for the arts. Her first husband helped her co-sign her first record contract when she was too young to do it alone, but it needed a little of planning.
While she described herself as “extremely Catholic” as a girl, Chaka Khan put aside even her religion when it came to music. She was a teenager when she discovered love and a way out to start chasing her ambition of becoming a music star.
Chaka married a couple times—though one of her marital unions remained unverified by the singer—and received children with her marriages. But, she quit the love scene well over a decade ago. Chaka found solace in her own company and the things she treasured the most: her bed, telly, and bible.
Chaka Khan Doesn’t Want to Be in a Relationship
It’s a passion that crumbled years ago, as she confessed in a recent interview with Hits Daily Double. The former Rufus frontwoman has kept her personal life quiet ever since. In 2014, however, she spoke out about her desire to be single, telling the Daily Mail that she dreaded being in a relationship.
Chaka stated that romantic connections make one defenseless and vulnerable, and she wasn’t sure whether she was ready to face that again. She also recognized the labor it needed to maintain such a bond, saying:
“Being in a relationship takes a lot of effort. No guy in his right mind would want to be married to someone like me. I can understand that. I’ve given it a few shots, and I think I finally have it figured out. Even a pet is out of the question for me.”
By that time, the things that Chaka valued the most were her bed, which she considered to be her lover; her television, which she considered to be her spouse since she could switch it on and off; and her bible, which she considered to be her salvation. In spite of this, she said at a later time that if she could go on a date with anybody, it would be Idris Elba, who is the son of Eve Elba.
Idris’s acting skills impressed Chaka, and he thought he must be a “really excellent human being” in addition to having “beautiful” features. After over a decade, in a conversation she had with Hits Daily Double last month, she stated that despite the fact that she had written numerous love songs, she was “sick” of singing them. She had the same feelings about being in a relationship.
Throughout the 15-20 years that passed since she last had a romance, Chaka didn’t miss having a partner. Nonetheless, throughout all the loves she experienced, Chaka learnt what she never wanted to settle for, as she explained:
“I said, ‘Well I’m doooooooone.’ I’m simply relieved that I know what it is that I do not want; while I can’t say for certain what it is that I do want, I can give you a fairly clear idea of what it is that I do not want.”
Chaka is said to have been married three times, the first two times being to Hassan Khan and Richard Holland, while the third time being supposedly to Doug Rasheed, according to various sources, including her IMDb page. Nevertheless, she never provided any evidence to support her purported marriage to Doug, whom she had a chance encounter with in the early 2000s.
While she was only a teenager, Chaka Khan tied the knot for the very first time.
During an interview in the year 2020 with Vlad TV, Chaka discussed how she deceived her mother into granting her permission to be married at such a tender age. Shortly after the end of her relationship with another guy, she became together with the Afro-Indian bass musician Hassan, who was a member of the Band of Gypsies.
Once the two of them started dating, Chaka moved into Hassan’s flat, where he lived with the other members of his band, and she visited her family very seldom after that point. She was just 17 years old when the opportunity to sign a record deal presented itself, and her mother refused to co-sign the contract.
Chaka’s mother continued to refuse to give her permission to wed Hassan despite her pleading with her. One week later, Chaka fabricated news that she was expecting, at which time her mother hurried her and Hassan to the local town hall to get their marriage legally recognized.
After Chaka had Hassan on board as her husband and co-signer for the record agreement, she was finally able to seal the deal. In addition, her mother renovated the basement of her home for the newlyweds, but they eventually moved out and leased their own apartment. Chaka and Hassan became close via their shared love of music and supported each other in their professional endeavors, but they also had their disagreements.
The last straw for her was when he requested whether one of his other lovers may reside in their flat, despite the fact that she was aware that he had other girlfriends besides her. The two went their own ways for a short while before getting back together, and after that, their relationship became intermittent.
Rahsaan Morris entered the picture after the couple had already gone their separate ways twice. Since Rahsaan spent a significant amount of time at Chaka’s aunt Niecey’s house, Rahsaan and Chaka had a hazy familiarity with one another. At first, Rahsaan did not pay much attention to Chaka since she was three years younger than he was and he saw her as “a baby.”
But, as he found out she was the frontwoman for Rufus, the two of them fell hopelessly in love with one another. Conversations that were intellectually interesting and a growing closeness between Chaka and Richard were the result of Chaka’s drive to learn and Richard’s educational background as a college graduate.
Despite this, Chaka found herself entangled in a love relationship with Hassan once again while she was seeing Rahsaan. Hassan sought to work on their relationship once he found out that she was pregnant, but he was unable. The pregnancy ended their relationship. And with Hassan and Rahsaan in the picture, Chaka had no idea who the father of her child was.
It wasn’t until a few months after the birth of her daughter, Indira Shobha, in December 1973 that she made the decision that Rahsaan would be the father of her second child. Rahsaan embraced the responsibility with all of his heart, despite the fact that she knew, deep down, that he occasionally questioned whether or not Indira was actually his biological kid.
The members of Chaka Khan’s entourage did not support her decision to marry a second time.
The singer first became acquainted with Richard Holland when she moved into an apartment in Laurel Canyon that was owned by the same people who had raised him from birth (of Jewish descent). They informed him that the famous actor from Hollywood lived in their building, and Richard made the decision to introduce himself to him. Richard had been a fan of Rufus even before he became friends with Chaka.
Richard was very enthusiastic about the art form of cinema and had previously studied it in college. In addition to that, he was an accomplished guitarist who performed in a number of the local bars and clubs. Because of their shared passion for artistic expression, he and Chaka quickly became good friends and, not long after that, began a romantic relationship.
Even Indira, whom Chaka had previously introduced to him, became one of his friends, and the three of them often went on excursions together. Chaka was able to get a divorce from Hassan in the end, despite the fact that it “took some doing,” so that she could marry Richard once he popped the question. In 1976, they celebrated their union with family and friends with a lavish Jewish wedding.
Unfortunately, since Chaka and Richard are an interracial couple, there was little support for their decision to be married. Chaka’s mother did not approve of the relationship, her band mates did not get along with him, and the public even made death threats against the pair. They also struggled with drug misuse and sometimes argued with one another.
Their marriage was brought to its knees by a number of factors, including those described above. When Chaka found out she was pregnant for a second time, they were on the verge of breaking up. In March of 1979, she and Richard became parents to a baby named Damien. Regrettably, the couple decided to end their marriage the next year, although they did it amicably.
Doug Rasheed was the one who made Chaka Khan fall in love.
In an interview that she gave in 1986 to the Los Angeles Times, Chaka said that after having two marriages, she did not want to have another one. That is, until the late year 2000, when she first met Doug Rasheed. Throughout the course of their work together on Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song,” Chaka learned that she was developing romantic feelings for another person.
In the beginning of the year 2001, she was certain about how she felt for Doug, but she concluded that only time would tell whether he was “Mr. Right.” And despite the fact that it is stated that they tied the knot in that year, the specifics of their relationship have not been established to this day. Doug is a prominent record producer who is most recognized for his contribution to the song “Gangsta’s Paradise” by the late Coolio.