Who Were George Foreman’s Wives? Inside the Marriages of the Heavyweight Champion
In 1985, George Foreman and Mary Joan Martelly were wed. Their marriage lasted until his death in 2025.
Published March 24 2025, 11:31 a.m. ET
Legendary boxer George Foreman died at the age of 76 on March 21, 2025. Throughout his remarkable life, he managed to build a large family, with 12 children, many grandchildren, and multiple wives.
George was famously married five times, including his final marriage to Mary Joan Martelly, as the couple remained together until his death. Prior to Mary, George had many other marriages during the height of his highly successful boxing career.
Who were George Foreman’s wives?
George’s first marriage was in 1971 when he wed Adrienne Calhoun after just 18 months of dating, but the couple divorced just three years later in 1974, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. During their marriage, the former couple welcomed their first child, daughter Michi.
In 1977, George married beauty queen Cynthia Lewis, who was 10 years his junior. Though their five-year marriage was short and they didn’t have any children together, Lewis chronicled their turbulent marriage in 2004 one-woman play, Bruised But Not Broken: The Cynthia Foreman Story, according to SFGATE.
George’s third marriage was his shortest, as he was married to Sharon Goodson for only a year, from 1981 until 1982, per Today. Due to the brief nature of their marriage, little is known about the couple’s relationship.
The same year that George ended his marriage to Sharon, in 1982, he married Andrea Skeete. The former couple were married until 1985, which was the same year that he met and married his last wife, Mary, according to The Times.
George’s fifth and final marriage was to Mary.
In 1985, George and Mary were wed and their marriage lasted until his death in 2025. In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, the late heavyweight champ spoke highly of Mary.
“Mary is a good wife. But the best thing that happened to me was finding a good wife who understood that children are not just something you can have today and then say, ‘That was something that happened in the past.’ It’s an ever-present thing in your life and it’s wonderful to have a wife to understand that,” he said.
Throughout their 40-year marriage, the couple welcomed to five children, George IV, George V, George VI, Leola, and Natalie. The pair also adopted two additional children, Isabella Brandie Lilja and Courtney Issac, according to The Sun.
On Friday, March 21, 2025, George's family announced via a statement that the boxing legend had died, although no cause of death was given. “Our hearts are broken,” the message began. “With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr. who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones.”
”We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers, and kindly ask for privacy as we honor the extraordinary life of a man we were blessed to call our own,” the statement continued.