Toni Tennille
Toni Tennille, the musician and longtime wife of Daryl Dragon –also known as Captain –is mourning the death of her once husband.
Toni’s longtime partner died aged 76 on January 2nd, according to reports, he died of renal failure. Though the couple had been divorced since 2014, reports say Toni Tenille was by his side at the time of his death.
Born Daryl Fran Dargon on August 27, 1942 –the son of Eloise and Carmen Dragon –a conductor, composer and arranger –he followed into the musical side of his family forming the pop duo, Captain and Tenille.
Both Daryl -a singer and pianist and Toni –a singer-songwriter –achieved fame as musical duo, Captain & Tennille. They were best known for Love Will Keep Us Together, which topped the US charts in 1975. Their other hits included Muskrat Love in 1976 and Do That to Me One More Time in 1980. They also hosted their own television variety series from 1976 to 1977.
Cathryn Antoinette Tenille was born May 8, 1940; the Montgomery, Alabama native was first married to Kenneth Shearer in 1962. They divorced in 1972 after 10 years of marriage.
In 1975 she wedded Daryl, her second husband and musical partner. The two also ended in divorce in 2014 –after nearly 40-years. Following their divorce she moved to Florida.
Toni, a classically trained pianist, met Dragon in the early 1970s and soon began performing together, with Tennille singing and Dragon on keyboards. She is well remembered for her ’70s and ’80s chart-topping hits with Captain & Tenille. In addition to her contributions to the band, she also did solo work, releasing a number of albums.
During an interview, Toni Tenille revealed the reason she divorced Daryl was his ‘inability to be affectionate.’ She also wrote a memoir, released in 2016, in which she described her marriage to Dragon as ‘loveless and lacking physical affection.’
The couple never had kids and remained friends until Daryl’s passing. Prior to their divorce Daryl was said to be suffering from an unspecified neurological condition that gave him hand tremors. Last year it was revealed his problems were a result of medication and that he was better. Tennille had moved back to Arizona to help care for him.
