Garth Brooks, 62, has been happily married to Trisha Yearwood for almost 20 years, but before their wedding in 2005 Garth was previously married to his college sweetheart, Sandy Mahl.
Here is all we know about Sandy, and their relationship today…
© Ron Galella
Where did Garth Brook meet his first wife?
Garth wed Sandy Mahl on May 24, 1986. They had met at Oklahoma State University where he starred on the track and field team in the javelin throw and studied for his degree.
Sandy was three years younger, and they married when she was 21 and Garth was 24.
Who is Sandy Mahl, Garth Brooks' first wife?
Sandy was a songwriter, co-writing the track ‘I’ve Got A Good Thing Going,’ which was included on Garth's self-titled debut album in 1989. She is also the co-founder of Wild Heart Ranch, an Oklahoma-based rehabilitation facility "for all species of wildlife needing orphan support, injury treatment or disease recovery".
Sandy remains on their board of directors, where she is known as Sandy Mahl Brooks Lynch. Wild Heart bills itself as "a stable and capable place where all wild animals can receive professional medical and supportive care until they can be released back in the wild," while the e veterinary team at the Tulsa Zoo "lends their time and hospital for the bald eagles that regularly arrive at Wild Heart".
© Vinnie Zuffante
How many children does Garth Brooks have?
Garth and Sandy welcomed three daughters together: Taylor Mayne Pearl (born 1992), August Anna (born 1994), and Allie Colleen Brooks (born 1996).
When did Garth Brooks get divorced?
The pair announced they were getting divorced in October 2000 but the filing revealed that they had split in March 1999, after 13 years of marriage. The divorce was finalized in December 2001.
© Vinnie Zuffante
Why did Garth Brooks get divorced?
Garth's fame got too big that it damaged their relationship, Sandy once claimed.
"People constantly wanting your attention and yanking and pulling on him," she explained in the documentary Garth Brooks: The Road I'm On."He'd be gone eight to 10 weeks at a time. He'd come home, and there would be number-one parties, or shows, or CMAs, or ACMs, American Music Awards, so it was constantly going. But we both grew apart really, really quickly."
"I don't think either of us had stopped to think about how this would change our lives," she later added.
How much did Garth Brooks' divorce cost?
When the divorce was finalized on December 17, 2001.
Sandy received a whopping $125 million as a settlement, making it one of the most expensive settlements in the country music industry .
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Is Garth Brooks friends with his ex-wife?
The pair remain amicable as they continue to parent their three grown children. Following Sandy's claims of why their marriage ended, Garth told Fox News that he had "respect and love for her".
"I heard things from her that she told me our whole life, but I didn't [really] hear them until now. And so my respect and love for her is through the roof for what she went through and how she's handled it, as well," he said.
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