Long before Travis Kelce squeezed Taylor Swift, there was another celebrity love match between a singing star and football hero that titillated the tabloids.
It was back in 1993, when country music queen Lorrie Morgan – who plays The Sharon Friday at 7 p.m.—found herself in the arms of Troy Aikman.
Morgan was riding high with a career that spawned a string of country hits including: “Dear Me,” “Five Minutes”, “What Part of No,” “Trainwreck of Emotion,” “Leave the Light On,” and nearly a dozen other, top-10 numbers.
During the ‘90s, Morgan became the first country female artist to have three consecutive albums sell over 1 million copies.
Aikman, meanwhile, was the handsome stud quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. He led them to three Super Bowls titles—in ’93, ‘94 and ’96. He moved on to become a star in the broadcast booth.
Both were known for their romantic episodes. Morgan, 64, has been married six times, most famously and tragically to country star Keith Whitley. He died in 1989 after a long history of alcohol abuse. Aikman, 57, has tied the knot and divorced twice.
In 1993, both were at the height of their celebrity fame and it took a toll on the relationship.
Morgan in her autobiography wrote that she wanted to marry Aikman: “probably more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.”
She told The Nashville Network, that the tabloids and TV cameras just wouldn’t let up on both of them. The rumors and constant media glare got the best of this dynamic duo.
“You hear something in Dallas or you hear something in Nashville and you’re not there to look at each other eye to eye,” Morgan told TNN. She added:
“You call each other on the phone and you hear it, and right away you accuse the other one. And it tore our relationship up,” she said.
The good news is that both appear to have found happiness in their private lives and both are totally dedicated to their careers.
“Country music is the love of my life,” Moran once told me in an interview. “It was the first love of my life, and it will always be the love of my life.”
Aikman told Texas Monthly: “The only way for me to enjoy the game is to be consumed by it…”
For Morgan and Aikman, music and football are the perfect match.
Tony Violanti writes about music and entertainment for Villages-News.com. He was inducted into The Buffalo Music Hall of Fame as a music journalist.
