Vicki Lawrence’s Husband: Marriages, Children and a Lasting Partnership

Vicki Lawrence, born Vicki Ann Axelrad on 26 March 1949 in Inglewood, California, has been on American television since she was a teenager. Fans of The Carol Burnett Show often ask about her husbands.

First husband: Bobby Russell

Lawrence married singer-songwriter Bobby Russell in 1972; they divorced in 1974. Russell wrote the song "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia", which Lawrence recorded and took to No. 1 in the US and Canada in 1973.

Second husband: Al Schultz

On 16 November 1974 she married Al Schultz, a makeup artist. The marriage lasted until his death on 19 June 2024, nearly fifty years. They had two children: Courtney (born 1975) and Garrett (born 1977).

Career highlights

• Regular on The Carol Burnett Show for all 11 seasons (1967–1978).
• Created the character Mama, later the star of the sitcom Mama's Family (1983–1990).
• Hosted the daytime edition of Win, Lose or Draw from 1987 to 1990.
• Won an Emmy in 1976 for her variety performances.

Why the marriage is remembered

In a business known for short marriages, hers with Al Schultz stood out for its length and for the quiet life they kept alongside her public career. Compare her story with other entertainers' early years in Katie Price young and Mickey Rourke young.

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