I Felt Truly Safe And Loved

Wonder Woman icon Lynda Carter is celebrating and mourning on this day, which marks her 40th anniversary to Robert Altman. The two tied the knot in 1984 and enjoyed 37 years of bliss before Altman tragically passed away in 2021.

Actress and musical artist Carter first crossed paths with D.C. lawyer Altman in 1982 at a dinner hosted by Maybelline. Carter had been the face of the cosmetics company while Altman was actually an attorney for their parent company. Love came when Carter expected it the least and needed it the most.

Lynda Carter celebrates her 40th anniversary with her beloved husband Robert Altman

January 29, 1984… 40 years ago today, I married “my guy.” For the first time in my life, I felt truly safe and loved.

I miss him and I thank him every day, for all he gave to us…his family, his friends, his colleagues.

I will always love you, Robert…wait for me. 💌 pic.twitter.com/XltvNz86M6

— Lynda Carter (@RealLyndaCarter) January 29, 2024

“January 29, 1984,” reflected Carter in a tribute post shared on Twitter on Monday afternoon. “40 years ago today, I married ‘my guy.’ For the first time in my life, I felt truly safe and loved.” Her post includes a black-and-white photo of the couple on their wedding day.

She continued, I miss him and I thank him every day, for all he gave to us…his family, his friends, his colleagues. I will always love you, Robert…wait for me.”

Altman was 73 when he died on February 3, 2021, of myelofibrosis, a rare type of leukemia. Some of Carter’s grief ended up channeled through her creative output, most notably the song “Rise Up,” but, she recalled after his passing, “I was completely paralyzed by the death of my husband. I kept running away … going to all these places.” It was her and Altman’s daughter, Jessica, who urged her mother to use her voice to grieve.

Robert Altman was a wonderful match for Wonder Woman

“I was not prepared to meet anyone new,” Carter said, recalling her fateful first meeting with Altman. “I was going to do it on my own.” Indeed, their first meeting followed a turbulent and upsetting time in her life. Before Altman, Carter had been married to talent agent Ron Samuels. When she looked back on that time of her life, Carter called it a very unhappy one and the couple, having married in ’77, split in ’82.

Marriage to Altman was a whole other experience. “We’d been through ups and downs and ins and outs,” Carter said, “and I’d never in my life felt the love and the support and the thrill of having a guy like this.”

Together, they had two children: daughter Jessica and son James. When Altman was accused of fraud in a highly-publicized 1992 bank scandal, Carter stood by him; Altman was later acquitted of all charges. Likewise, when Carter struggled with alcohol, Altman was a steady rock who drove her to get help; she has been sober for over 20 years.