If you’re a Heart fan, you know the music is legendary. But for a long time, the drama behind the scenes was just as heavy as the riff in "Barracuda." At the center of the biggest rift in rock history is Ann Wilson husband, Dean Wetter.
Honestly, most people didn't even know Ann was married until things went sideways in a very public way. She had spent decades as rock’s premier bachelorette (well, mostly). Then, in 2015, she surprised everyone by marrying a guy she actually dated way back in the '80s.
It sounds like a fairy tale, right? A second chance at love with a "friend and angel." But just one year later, an incident on a tour bus changed everything for the Wilson sisters.
The Night Everything Changed in Auburn
It was August 2016. Heart was playing a show at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn, Washington. It should have been just another night on the road.
Nancy Wilson’s twin sons, who were 16 at the time, were backstage. They wanted to see Ann’s new tour bus. Dean Wetter, who was 65 then, said okay—but he warned them to keep the door shut so the dogs wouldn't get out.
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The kids forgot. They left the door open.
What happened next is kinda hard to wrap your head around. According to court documents, Wetter basically "flew into a rage." He didn't just yell. He allegedly slapped and punched one of the boys and then grabbed him by the throat. When the other twin tried to help his brother, Wetter reportedly choked him too.
He was arrested that night. He eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of fourth-degree assault.
Why the Marriage Put Heart on Ice
You can imagine how Nancy felt. Those were her kids. For a long time, the sisters barely spoke. Ann stood by her husband, which created a massive wall between the two women who had been inseparable since the '70s.
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"I think it’s harder to keep a band together than a marriage," Ann said in an interview a few years back. She wasn't kidding.
For nearly three years, Heart didn't exist. Ann went solo. Nancy started her own project called Roadcase Royale. They were "on a break," but it wasn't the fun Friends kind. It was the kind where lawyers and restraining orders are involved.
The terms of Wetter's plea deal were pretty strict:
- 364 days in jail (all suspended).
- Two years of probation.
- Mandatory counseling.
- A "no contact" order involving Nancy’s sons.
The 2024-2026 Reconciliation
If you’re looking for a silver lining, it took a long time to find one. The sisters finally started mending things around 2019 for a "Love Alive" tour, but the tension was still thick enough to cut with a guitar string.
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Fast forward to the present day in 2026. The sisters have navigated some heavy stuff lately, including Ann's cancer diagnosis and treatment. That kind of health scare has a way of making family feuds seem small. They’ve been back on the road with the "Royal Flush" tour, and by all accounts, they’ve found their rhythm again.
As for Dean Wetter? He and Ann are still married. She has remained incredibly private about their home life since the 2016 incident. She's always described him as her soulmate, even when the rest of the world (and her family) saw him through the lens of that one violent night.
What Fans Often Get Wrong
A lot of people think Ann had never been "the marrying type." Not true. She just hadn't found the right fit. Before Dean, her most famous relationship was with Michael Fisher (Heart’s manager) back in the '70s.
She also adopted two children on her own—Marie in 1991 and Dustin in 1998. She was a single mom for a long time before Wetter came back into the picture.
The big takeaway here is that life isn't a clean, 3-minute radio edit. It's messy. Ann chose her husband, but she also eventually found a way back to her sister.
What you can do next:
If you're heading out to see Heart on their current tour, pay attention to the stage chemistry. The best way to understand where Ann and Nancy stand today is to watch them play. The music has always been their primary language. You might also want to check out Ann's latest solo work with her band, Tripsitter, to see how she’s expressing her personal journey through these complicated years.