54 Years Ago Today, This Musical Power Couple Jumped Into A Marriage That Was 'Doomed' From The Start

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The following article includes mentions of addiction.

More than 50 years ago, two famed musicians found themselves in perfect harmony. On November 3, 1972, legendary '70s celebrity power couple Carly Simon and James Taylor tied the knot. Yet, theirs was a union not built to last. Nine years later, Simon and Taylor's brief marriage ended in a celebrity divorce some fans didn't see coming. In some ways, though, Taylor wasn't surprised.

"It was kind of doomed," Taylor told ABC's "7:30 Report" in 2010 of his marriage to Simon (via YouTube). "I mean, really... I was unfit to be a husband and father." Taylor was 26 and Simon was 30 when they said "I do" in their New York City apartment. In retrospect, Taylor believed it was way too early. "It amazes me that people get married in their twenties... I mean, what do you know?" he said. 

In 1974, the couple welcomed their daughter, Sarah Maria "Sally" Taylor. Three years later, their son, Benjamin Simon "Ben" Taylor, was born. In 1983, Simon and Taylor called it quits, thanks in part to Taylor's struggles with addiction, as well as his numerous affairs. Even so, Simon hoped they'd still be friends, but the feeling wasn't mutual. "I would say that the relationship is very resolved from James's point of view, which makes it clearly impossible for me to have a relationship with him because he's put down an iron curtain," she told Salon in 2015. "[I]t's been very hard to raise children without having their father to talk to."

Carly Simon and James Taylor were one of the most iconic celebrity couples of the 1970s. Yet, Taylor's struggles made it difficult for the relationship to last. "You could fall in love, but if one of the people is addicted, it's not going to work. The whole person is simply not available," he told Parade in 2022. 

Simon wrote in her 2016 memoir "Boys in the Trees" that eventually, the dynamic was "switching from love to hate, lust to loathing, and back again, sometimes within a day." Yet, Simon didn't directly blame Taylor's addiction for their marriage's deterioration. "Anything could have happened," she told People in 2015. "[I]f the demons that were in him went someplace other than drugs, it would have been something other than drugs that would have been difficult to live with I think too."

It's clear that how Taylor treated Simon during and after their marriage was deeply distressing for her. Yet, sharing the memories in her memoir helped her to move past the hurt. "My incredible loyalty to him, in spite of the fact that he has treated me without any regard, has been so painful to me for so long," she explained. "[T]hrough the course of writing the book, I really started to understand that I could love and not be loved. And that was the big realization for me, that it doesn't have to be a two-way street."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).