Introduction
Two months ago, Black Star Chronicles uploaded a video titled “He Was The Love Of My Life, Johnny Mathis Confirms Rumors Of The Decade,” in which Mathis addresses long-standing questions about his personal life.
For many years, fans speculated about Mathis’s romantic relationships, fueled by his famously private nature and the smooth intimacy of his ballads.
John Royce Mathis was born on September 30, 1935, in Gilmer, Texas, and grew up in San Francisco, where his velvet tenor first captivated local audiences.
Over a career spanning nearly seven decades, he became one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with albums like Johnny’s Greatest Hits spending an unprecedented 490 weeks on the Billboard charts.
He earned a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003 and has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame three times.
In the video, Mathis admits that, despite never marrying or having children, he did indeed experience a profound, lifelong love—confirming what fans had long whispered behind the scenes.
He revisits his 1982 off-the-record interview in Us Magazine, where he first acknowledged his homosexuality, calling it “a way of life I’ve become accustomed to”.
Later, in a January 2014 Guardian interview, he reflected: “I’ve never been married, and I have no regrets… I come from a large family, and I’ve been very happy”.
For fans who grew up swept away by his tender ballads, Mathis’s confirmation feels like a long-awaited closing note—a moment of honesty that deepens our connection to his music and to him as a person.
As he prepares to retire from touring on May 18, 2025—citing accelerated age and memory issues—this admission stands as a powerful testament to the compassion and courage that have defined his storied career