INSIDE Bill Russell’s 4 marriages: From Miss USA to loving wife who stood by him till the end

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Bill's daughter Karen was born in 1962. His eldest son William Jr. was born in 1957 but succumbed to cancer in 2016. Jacob came into the world in 1959 and is said to be happily married. Bill married Dorothy Anstett in 1977. She was a beauty queen who was crowned Miss USA in 1968.

However, the marriage did not last and the couple parted ways just three years later in 1980. The NBA great married his third wife Marilyn Nault in 1996 and they were together until her death in 2009.

Bill then married his last wife Jeannine, who was beside him at the time of his death.

Bill and Jeannine frequently posted photos together on social media, but also maintained their privacy. There isn't much information about Jeannine, but Bill posted a picture in January 2021 of the duo renewing their vows on Instagram. "Happy 1-year vow renewal #Anniversary to my wonderful wife," he wrote. "We realized today we were married on the 8th and renewed our vows on the 24th. The #Kobe connection goes deep," he added.

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Bill's demise sparked a wave of tributes across the internet, with a recent one coming from President Joe Biden, who commemorated his life in a lengthy statement released Sunday night, July 31. "The promise of America is that we are all created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives. We’ve never fully lived up to that promise, but Bill Russell made sure we never walked away from it," Biden began. "By August 1963, he had won six of what would be 11 NBA championships in his 13 years in the league with the Boston Celtics, a defining career that would include five regular-season Most Valuable Player awards, an Olympic gold medal, and serving as the first Black coach of any major sports league in America."

"But on the historic day of August 28, 1963, there he was at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial as a towering champion for freedom, equality, and justice as Dr. King delivered a dream for the Nation," the POTUS continued, "That was Bill Russell. From a childhood in segregated Louisiana to a career playing on the biggest stages in sports at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Bill faced the hostility and hate of racism embedded in every part of American life. Yet, he never gave up. Throughout his life, he forced us to confront hard truths. And on this day, there are generations of Americans who are reflecting on what he meant to them as someone who played for the essential truth that every person is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect." He added, "Bill Russell is one of the greatest athletes in our history – an all-time champion of champions, and a good man and great American who did everything he could to deliver the promise of America for all Americans."