Celebrated R&B and soul singer Darlene Love has revealed that she had a secret relationship with Bill Medley. In her new documentary “Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been,” she made the surprising revelation that she dated the Righteous Brothers singer for three years.
In fact, the relationship between the pair was so serious that they almost got married. According to Love, the pair grew close when the Righteous Brothers were performing alongside her girl group the Blossoms. However, the relationship was kept private and not publicized.
The 85-year-old admitted that they dated throughout the late 1960s, with only those close to the two groups knowing the truth. Love and Medley ended the relationship when Love became pregnant and chose not to go ahead with the pregnancy.
Darlene Love & Bill Medley Nearly Married
In the documentary, Love reveals that the two singers first met on the musical variety series “Shindig!” They grew closer when the Blossoms and the Righteous Brothers began to tour together, with both Love and Bedley having gone through divorces.
“We had both divorced by then, and we really became really, really, really tight on the road,” she said according to People. “We were together for three years, and nobody really knew except for people who we were traveling with, and we did quiet things. We didn’t want to make no ruffles. We didn’t want to make nobody unsafe when we were in the South.”
Unfortunately, the relationship was not just kept secret to avoid celebrity gossip and prying. Band managers and agents advised against publicly revealing the romance. This was allegedly due to the fact that Love is Black and Medley is white, with some executives objecting to the interracial relationship. Love recalled the difficulty in touring in the South during the time period as a factor as well.
Despite those issues, the pair remained committed to each other and fought to stay as a couple. “It was real close to getting married,” she added.
The Relationship Ended When Darlene Had An Abortion
GettyLove and Medley eventually ended the relationship when she became pregnant and sought an abortion. Love already had two children at the time and was unsure about how having another baby would affect her career. According to Love, Medley wanted to continue with the pregnancy and have the child.
Following the termination, Medley began dating another woman, which Love admits hurt her at the time. However, the two were able to remain friends in spite of the painful circumstances of their separation.
Love, who has a string of hits with the Blossoms and as a solo artist, has been married three times. Her first marriage to Leonard Peete ended in 1968, presumably before she and Medley began dating. She then married Wesley Mitchell in 1971 and then was wed to Alton Allison in 1984. The 85-year-old singer has a total of four children.
