Introduction:
Country music has always been about more than just the sound — it’s about the stories, the grit, the love, the heartbreak, and above all, the truth. Few artists embodied that spirit more than Merle Haggard. Known as “The Hag,” he wasn’t just one of the greatest voices in country music history — he was also its poet laureate of real life. Among the many stories etched into the landscape of his life, one of the most touching is his final visit to Bonnie Owens, his former wife, before she passed away in 2006.
Bonnie Owens wasn’t just Merle’s wife from 1965 to 1978 — she was his creative partner, his confidante, and the person who helped shape some of the most iconic songs of his career. A talented artist in her own right and a winner of the ACM’s Female Vocalist of the Year in 1965, Bonnie played a vital role in Merle’s golden years of songwriting. “If I even indicated that I was going to write, she was there with a pad and pen,” Haggard once said. Without her, we may never have had songs like Mama Tried or Working Man Blues — she was the silent co-writer, the muse who didn’t miss a word.
Their bond went beyond charts and stages. One of Merle’s most beloved songs, Today I Started Loving You Again, was written for Bonnie during a quiet moment between tours. It wasn’t born out of drama, but from a fleeting, honest exchange at an airport. That sincerity is what gave the song its timeless charm — and why it was later covered by legends like Waylon Jennings, Kenny Rogers, and Conway Twitty.
But it’s the tender story of their last encounter that reveals the depth of their connection. Years after their divorce, Bonnie was suffering from Alzheimer’s. Merle visited her one final time, and in a moment both heartbreaking and beautiful, she took him by the arm and led him to her room. There, hanging above her bed, was a large photograph of the two of them. She looked at it and said with innocent sincerity, “He’s my favorite.” She no longer recognized that the man in the photo — her favorite — was Merle himself, standing beside her in that very moment.
Merle could barely speak of that memory without choking up. It was the kind of moment that transcends music — a reminder of enduring love, of memories lost but feelings that remain. It was also a reminder of Bonnie’s unwavering presence in his life — not just as a past partner, but as someone who truly understood him.
Merle Haggard’s music is filled with tales of hardship, redemption, and humanity. But it’s this story — raw, unscripted, and profoundly human — that truly shows the heart behind the legend. And maybe that’s what country music is all about: not just the songs we remember, but the people who helped shape them.
So next time you hear Today I Started Loving You Again, remember Bonnie. Remember Merle. And remember the beautiful, bittersweet truth behind the music.