Canadian singer Shania Twain has revealed she was not allowed to grieve after her parents were killed in a car crash when she was 22 years old. Her mother Sharon and stepfather Jerry, who adopted Twain at age four, died in a head-on collision with a lorry in 1987.
Phone Call That Changed Everything
Twain was living in Toronto studying computer programming when she received the devastating news from her sister. 'I collapsed hearing that news over the phone,' she told Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. 'My sister called me and I could hear my little brother howling in the background.'
Following the tragedy, Twain immediately took on the role of primary caregiver for her three younger siblings. 'The kids could not be separated after that accident – they had to stay together,' she explained.
Overwhelming Responsibilities
Twain returned to the family home and became responsible for both her siblings and her parents' business affairs. 'My older sister was gone and was married with two children and had her own life in another town. I had to do a lot of things I knew nothing about like take out a second mortgage for the house to sustain what is going to happen next,' she said.
She also had to organise selling equipment from her parents' business and frequently visit lawyers' offices to navigate insurance matters, as passengers in the vehicle and the lorry driver were suing. 'There were so many complexities to the accident itself. I wasn't allowed to grieve because I was thrown into this state of guardianship and executor, plus I don't have a job,' she continued.
Finding Stability Through Work
After securing a job at a golf resort six hours from their hometown, Twain moved there with her siblings. The position provided a steady income and also allowed her to pursue her singing career.
During the interview, Twain also opened up about her parents' abusive marriage, revealing she felt compelled to protect her mother. 'It was bad. He would choke her a lot and do things that don't end well,' she said.
Personal Life and Career
Twain later married record producer Robert John 'Mutt' Lange in 1993. They had son Eja in 2001 but separated seven years later after Lange had an affair with her best friend, Marie-Anne Thiebaud. It was Marie-Anne's husband, Frederic Thiebaud, who alerted Twain to the affair. 'I didn't know anything that was going on, but he then took the blinders off and told me. I didn't believe him and told him he was imagining things,' she recalled.
Both couples decided to end their marriages, and Twain and Frederic Thiebaud eventually married in 2011. 'And in that time we found each other. I found out what a beautiful person he was,' she said, adding that she would 'treat him better'.
Award-Winning Career
The five-time Grammy winner has achieved nine UK top 10 singles, including hits like 'You're Still The One', 'From This Moment On', and 'Don't Be Stupid'. She has also released three number one albums: 1998's Come On Over, 2017's Now, and 2023's Queen Of Me.
The full Desert Island Discs episode is available on BBC Sounds and BBC Radio 4 from Sunday at 10am.
