Bill Russell, the first black NBA head coach, passed away “peacefully” on Sunday, according to a tweet from his family.
With the Boston Celtics, Russell amassed 11 championships, including eight straight from 1959 to 1966. He won the NBA MVP five times and was an All-Star twelve times.
He led the Celtics to two championships while serving as their coach, becoming the first head coach to do so.
The famous athlete was also married four times over his life, with three of those unions ending in divorce. We shall discover more about Rose Swisher, his first wife, in this piece.
What happened to Rose Swisher, the ex-wife of Bill Russell?
Bill Rusell’s first love and wife, Rose Swisher, passed away on September 11, 2014, at the age of 78.
The two ex-lovers first met while they were both attending college together. On December 9, 1956, Rose and Bill Russell were united in marriage. Similar to this, their marriage lasted for around 20 years until ending in divorce in 1973.
Bill Russell, seen here in 1969, passed away at the age of 88.
Moreover, he wed Dorothy Anstett in his second marriage. In 1977, amidst the debate over inter-racial marriage, he wed Dorothy. Although interracial weddings had only become legal in 1967, Dorothy was white, and they were still uncommon.
Dorothy Anstett was 29 years old and Russell was 43 years old when they got married. They lived together for three years before divorcing in 1980.
Then, in 1996, Russell wed Marilyn Nault, who would become his third wife; their union lasted until her demise in January 2009. Russell was married to Jeannine Russell, his fourth wife, at the time of his death.
How many children did Rose Swisher and Bill Rusell have?
Together, Bill Rusell and Rose Swisher raised three kids: daughters Karen Russell, an attorney and television pundit, and sons William Jr. and Jacob.
On January 20, 1962, Karen Russell, an attorney and legal expert on television, was born. She graduated from Harvard Law School and Georgetown University.
Similarly, the outstanding television reporter Karen formerly held the positions of executive director of Artists for a New South Africa and director of development for the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights. Some of her writing has been featured on The Huffington Post.
Russell led the Boston Celtics to 11 championships.
Karen routinely makes appearances as a legal and political pundit on CNN, MSNBC, and TruTV.
Bill and Rose Russell welcomed their son William Felton Russell Jr., also known as Buddha, into the world on November 2, 1957 in Melrose, Massachusetts. The son of a great basketball player spent several years working for Cox Trucking while he was living in St. George, Utah.
In addition, William wed his childhood girlfriend Sherrill Hansen; their son is named Sean Tyler Russell.
NBA Hall of Famer Bill Rusell At 88, dead
At the age of 88, Bill Russell, a great Boston Celtics player and former NBA champion, passed away.
A post on social media stated that Russell died “amicably” with his wife Jeannine by his side. Plans for his memorial service would shortly be made public, according to the statement.
His long history of involvement and dedication to social justice was underscored by Russell’s family, who noted that his “understanding of the fight is what brightened his life.”