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Who Was Joan Vassos’ 1st Husband and What Happened to Him? Inside Her 32-Year Marriage to John Vassos
Joan Vassos is looking for love on season 1 of The Golden Bachelorette, but before she became a reality television star, she was married to husband John Vassos for 32 years before he died in 2021.
Who Is Joan Vassos’ 1st Husband John Vassos?
Before John’s death, he owned and operated BCE Corporation and CapX Solutions, according to his obituary.
“John embraced life with vigor and never did anything halfway,” his obituary said. “If you were his friend, he loved you forever and would do anything for you. He was known for his epic generosity and it is impossible to count the number of people and organizations he supported.”
John was a youth football coach and “loved seeing each player develop their skills while teaching them about the importance of sportsmanship and other life lessons.”
Joan told Katie Couric Media that she “had a wonderful life” with John and that she “loved being married.” She also admitted that she knew he would want her to put herself out there again.
“I feel like he maybe had a little hand in me actually getting here, honestly,” she told Entertainment Tonight in June 2021. “He told me right before he passed away, ‘You need to go out and find somebody else. You were the best wife in the world and I want you to be happy.’ He gave me this wonderful gift before he died, and he said go and do something, and so here I am.”
She also noted that John “loved reality TV” and would be proud of her for going on this journey.
The two met in Ocean City, Maryland, when Joan was 20 and John was 21. “When John and I first fell in love, it was all about family,” Joan shared. “We had a joyous, loving household with a lot of people in it, filled with love. When you walked into a room, John made you feel like you were the only person in it. He just had this knack. He made life fun. He made me feel very visible every day. Best 33 years ever.”
How Did Joan Vassos’ Husband John Die?
John died at the age of 59 after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He passed away at home in Maryland “surrounded by his family” on January 18, 2021.
Joan opened up about John’s passing during the premiere of the Golden Bachelorette in September 2024. “One day we were supposed to go away for a lacrosse game and John said, “I just feel really lousy,’ and I looked at him and I was like, ‘Something is really wrong with you,’” she recalled.
John received his diagnosis shortly after that. “It’s a terrible, terrible cancer,” Joan said. “He went from 220 pounds to 120 pounds. I, for some reason, was living in a dream world. He was dying and I was pretending it wasn’t happening. I just couldn’t accept that he wasn’t going to be here anymore. He was getting worse.”
On the night John died, Joan said she went to check on him at 1 a.m. and saw he was still breathing. However, when she returned just two hours later, he had died. “I wasn’t there with him, which I feel terrible about,” she admitted through tears. “But, once again, I thought he was gonna live. I sat there with him for a minute and I said a few prayers.”
On the third anniversary of John’s death, Joan paid tribute to him on Instagram. “Some days it seems like it just happened and I can’t catch my breath, still feeling the shock of it,” she shared. “Other days it feels like he’s been gone a lifetime, those days are worse because I’m afraid the memories are fading. I think that’s what scares me the most. I always knew that the hole he left in the universe when he passed away could never be filled, but I didn’t realize that maybe people might just stop noticing it was there. For years I’ve tried to think of how to memorialize him, but nothing seems quite right.”
She also added, “He was the husband that always made me feel safe and cherished. He was the parent that was always the fun one because that’s all he knew how to do…lucky kids because fun in his book was generally epic. I could go on for hours, you all know that though. Honestly, I think that’s how he would want to be remembered…by not forgetting him.”
Does Joan Vassos Have Kids With Her Husband?
Joan and John had four children together: Nicholas, Erica, Allison and Luke. Through Erica and Allison, Joan also has two grandchildren.
“To say he was proud of his kids would be a massive understatement,” John’s obituary said. “They will carry on his legacy of generosity, his passion for life, and his love of family and friends.”
Family is extremely important for Joan. In fact, when she was a contestant on season 1 of The Golden Bachelor, she left the show because her daughter was dealing with postpartum depression after giving birth to her first child.
“She needed me,” Joan explained on the Women Tell All special. “She needed her mom. And I didn’t think twice. I knew I had to be there. I heard it in her voice.”
She also wrote on Instagram, “Family comes first, period. Once a mother, always a mother, I’ll always choose my kids first. Thank you for all of your outpouring love and support, for not only me but also my daughter – everyone is now healthy and happy!”
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