After spending half of their lives together as husband and wife, singer and actress Ann-Margret and her late husband Roger Smith were completely dedicated to one another.
The pair was married in 1967 and remained a happy marriage till Smith passed away on June 4, 2017, following a prolonged battle with myasthenia gravis that he had been suffering for many years.
Elvis Presley, a singer and Ann-Margret’s co-star in the film “Viva Las Vegas,” was Ann-Margret’s ex-boyfriend before she married Smith. Even after she ended her relationship with Smith, she continued to be friends with the singer up to the time when Presley passed away.
Because she placed such a high importance on their relationship, Ann-Margret did not include any of the songs on her record that were made popular by Elvis Presley. This was the case even when she restarted her career after the passing of her husband. Regarding the omission of some tracks, she stated:
“I made the decision not to. Everyone is aware of my feelings for him and the relationship that we maintained over the course of so many years. It was in the most discreet of settings.”
After they wed, Ann-Margret and Smith were inseparable from that point forward. “I knew I was going to marry him on the third date,” she said later on in the conversation.
They were working on film sets on different sides of the nation, and it was driving them crazy. After some time, Smith ended up becoming her manager in order to guarantee that they would remain together. The vocalist from “The Swinger” stated:
“Now, I’ve discovered all the guys I need wrapped into one – a parent in Roger, a friend in Roger, a lover in Roger, a manager in Roger, and a businessman in Roger. It suits me down to the ground. Without a powerful guy, I would not be able to continue existing.”
Smith was an excellent manager for her, and he was essential in her development beyond the stereotype of a cartoon figure that her detractors held of her. Because to his efforts, Ann-Margret was cast in demanding roles in films such as “Carnal Knowledge” and “Tommy,” which resulted in her receiving praise from film critics and acknowledgment from voters at award shows.
After that, the actress went on to star in a number of successful film series, including “Grumpy Old Men.” In addition, she appeared as a guest on the television show “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” for which she was nominated for an Emmy.
Smith previously said in an interview that one of his lifelong goals was for him and his wife to perform together in a Broadway play once she retired from the film industry. Sadly, the two people never managed to make their desire come true.
They were blessed with a long life together and even managed to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary only a few short years before Smith’s passing away. Smith had this goal in mind from the beginning, and he couldn’t contain his joy when he finally accomplished it.
After years of Smith managing Ann-Margret’s job, Ann-Margret matched her husband’s support by being there for him in his personal life. This was in response to the years that Smith had spent managing her career. Actress Anna Nicole Smith put her career on hold after learning that she was suffering from Parkinson’s disease and myasthenia gravis after receiving those diagnoses. In her words:
“Because I was taking care of him, I kept saying no to everything, and I couldn’t help myself. If you’re married, and one of you is sick or injured, the other one takes care of everything.
During her spouse’s sickness, Ann-Margret was reportedly a “amazing nurse” to her husband, according to a source who is close to the actress. However, the couple’s love did not stop there. It was said that she continued to cherish her spouse even after he had passed away. “In her eyes, a wonderful love story does not come to an end when the couple passes away. The buddy revealed that you have their spirit with you at all times.
After the passing of her spouse, Ann-Margret said how appreciative she was for all of the years that she was able to spend with him:
“When I consider all that has happened in my life, I am most proud of my marriage…We both hoped that it would be successful. And it was successful. We spent the whole day and night together. We had a deep affection for one another and were always there to support one another.
She lamented his passing and, despite the excruciating grief, made an effort to move on by focusing her attention on her many interests and abilities. She also remembers with fondness the life that they had together.
Ann-Margret spent the better part of the last 13 years trying to conceive a child. She said that she had assisted her ovulation process with the assistance of a fertility pump as well as an experimental gadget that shot a hormone into her stomach.
[Ann-Margret] is making an effort to move on with her life by keeping herself busy with her business, but she is still residing in the property in Los Angeles that she and Smith originally purchased together.
However, despite the fact that Smith already had three children, the actress still desired to have children of her own. In her words:
“The main idea is that if it is in God’s plan for me to have a kid, then I will. I will submit to the will of my higher power and accept whatever it determines to be best for me. I am aware that what I am about to say may seem too basic, but I really believe in the serenity prayer.
Ann-Margret prayed to God on a regular basis, asking him to provide her the serenity to accept the things in her life that she could not change, the courage to change the things in her life that she could alter, and the knowledge to recognize the difference between the two.
After years of futile attempts to conceive, the actress eventually gave up on the stressful endeavor and made peace with the fact that she would become a stepmother to Smith’s children instead. She said that, of all the parts she had ever performed, this one was her absolute favorite.
The 82-year-old woman said that she had become a strict stepmother who instilled respect in her stepchildren in the same manner that her own parents had instilled it in her:
“I remember meeting them when they were ages 3, 6, and 7, but now they aren’t. Two of them are medical professionals. “Well, I’m not going to go into that because it’s extremely sensitive and private,” she said.
Ann-Margret, who is now in her 80s and has a bubbly personality, picked up where she left off in her profession following the passing of her husband. She has had a lot on her plate lately, including the completion of recording a new album titled “Born to Be Wild.”
She said that she hadn’t recorded an album in the last half-century, but she had a great time working on her most recent CD.
Even though she is trying to move on with her life by keeping herself busy with her job, the actress is still residing in the Los Angeles house that she and Smith first purchased together.
Ann-Margret said that despite her best efforts to maintain her own happiness, the loss of her spouse had caused her to lose interest in several activities that she and her husband used to enjoy together, such as skiing. Despite this, she had high hopes of being back on the slopes very soon.
The actress has already made her comeback to the big screen, appearing in films like “Never Too Late” and “Queen Bees.” She pointed out that:
When you reach a particular age, you are not automatically pased. You can’t just sit around the house and watch TV by yourself; you have to keep living. You are obligated to take part.”
The star of “Going in Style” has also maintained a network of close pals that includes those with whom she has collaborated throughout the course of her career. She said that she and several of her other pals had organized a walking club on an informal basis:
It’s possible that there will be three of us on Monday. On a different day, there may be 15 of them. Every weekend, when we go for a stroll, we go to a new location. I can’t wait to get there!
These days, Ann-Margret likes to spend the time that is reserved for her alone with her cat, Harley. The 18-year-old cat is seldom far from her side and even shares her bed each night. They are inseparable.
