Chad Everett - Personal Life

Personal Life

Everett married actress Shelby Grant in Tucson, Arizona, on May 22, 1966. Everett was on location in Tucson filming the 1967 movie, Return of the Gunfighter, at the time of their wedding. They had two daughters, Katherine Thorp and Shannon Everett. The couple remained married for forty-five years until her death after a brain aneurysm on June 25, 2011. Everett credited his family with being a stabilizing force in his life, stating that even in the worst of times Shelby "never threatened to leave. She would tell me that she was there for me. If not for my family, I would have been in big trouble.” Shelby noted his romanticism; he sent her so many flowers during their courtship that "my balcony looked like a burial ground." He also often wrote sentimental poems to Shelby throughout their marriage as well as to his daughters. The couple renewed their marriage vows every seven years.

After the series Medical Center ended, Everett became frustrated when no movie roles were forthcoming and television roles weren’t working out. A long-time social drinker, he began drinking heavily. He was consuming a quart of vodka a day by the time he quit drinking in 1986. “I was a functional alcoholic.” Shelby, however, noted his alcohol-related mood swings and said “finally I confronted him. I came into the bedroom with a big pot of coffee one morning and said ‘we have a major problem to deal with here.’ “ A month later Everett caught site of himself on a video and did not like what he saw. “Finally I said, ‘I am really in trouble’ I stepped outside and I looked up and said, ‘Father, you take it. I can’t handle it anymore.’ “ The next day he told his daughters (who were living at home at the time) "I am addicted to alcohol, and I am not going away to detox. I am going to do it here so that you can see what happens to someone if you let a substance take control of you." He attended his first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting the next day. He has stated that he never drank again. He attributed his discipline to his passionate Christian faith and his self-pride.

Everett died July 24, 2012 at his home in Los Angeles after a year-and-a-half-long battle with lung cancer. He was 76. He is survived by his two daughters and six grandchildren.

Beginning in 1973, actress Sheila Scott initiated court proceedings against Everett three times, claiming her son Dale (born 1973) was fathered by him. The lengthy and complicated paternity suit finally ended in 1984 when a California Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Everett. The court stated: “ From the evidence adduced, the jury concluded that Everett was not Dale's father despite the 94.67 percent probability of paternity from the HLA test“ and “In this appeal, we affirm a judgment following a jury verdict finding the defendant and respondent not to be the father of the minor child.” Everett refused to take more sophisticated tests regarding paternity. Although he had entered into a private financial settlement with Scott in 1973, he steadfastly maintained that he was not Dale's father. In 1991 Scott was sentenced to 3 months probation following a guilty verdict of “harassing” Everett for 18 years, including death threats against him and his wife. She was also ordered to undergo psychological testing and to never publicly declare that Everett was Dale’s father.

He had a much publicized argument with feminist actress Lily Tomlin during the taping of the March 31, 1972, episode of The Dick Cavett Show. Tomlin became so enraged when Everett referred to his wife in a joke as "my property" that she stormed off the set and refused to return.

Reporter Ronnie Simonsen’s admiration of Everett is an important part of How's Your News?, a documentary (about a group of mentally disabled news reporters touring the United States) in which Simonsen meets Everett near the end of the film.

Everett authored and self-published a book of affectionate and romantic poetry, which he dedicated to Shelby.

He was a conservative Republican.

In 1986 he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.