Sara Lownds was married to the renowned songwriter and folk singer Bob Dylan. Originally, she went by the name Shirley Marlin Noznisky.

Her birthplace was Wilmington, Delaware, on October 25, 1939. Before her union with Dylan, Sara Lowndnes married magazine photographer Hans Lownds, calling herself Sara Lownds during that marriage.

Bob Dylan Wife

Sara was settled in the United States in 1912 and worked for a scrap dealer. She lived with her 16-year-old brother.

During her youth, her mother had a debilitating brain stroke, and their great-aunt decided to provide care for the family. Tragically, her father was shot and killed when an immigrant shot him in 1956. Her mother passed away after five years, leaving Shirley Marlin Noznisky to face the world on her own.

Hans Lownds & Sara Lownds

In 1959, she settled in New York City and began modeling. With striking beauty and somber, dark eyes, perhaps a reflection of her challenging early life.

After relocating to New York City, she took on the role of a “bunny girl” in the Playboy Club. During her time with Ford Agency, she started modeling for a variety of fashion brands. 

A magazine modeling endeavor brought her in contact with Hans Lownds, a photographer named Hans Lownds. Despite their 25-year age difference, Shirley and Hans made a connection and married swiftly late in 1960.

She was Henry’s third wife. Sara changed the name because his ex-wife had the same name, and he wished to avoid reminders of her. Hans’s child, Peter Lownds, describes the introduction of his father’s new marriage, saying, “When I returned from Yale, Sara opened the door.

The only thing I noticed about her was that she looked four or five years younger than me. It didn’t occur to me that my father was married again.” Sara had only just launched the modeling industry when Hans approached her. She was making strides, appearing in Harper’s Bazaar as ” beautiful, luscious Sara Lownds.”

Sara Pregnancy

However, her modeling pursuits were temporarily suspended after getting pregnant with Maria Dylan. She gave birth to a daughter on October 21, 1961. Their marriage deteriorated shortly after their daughter’s birth.

During this period, Sara Lownds frequently took her sports car, the MG, for solo drives around NYC, often attracted to the vibrancy in Greenwich Village, a hub for musicians, artists, intellectuals, activists, and performers.

Sara spent time with Sally Grossman after her marriage to Lownds ended. Bob Dylan’s manager, Albert Grossman, represented many popular folk-rock musicians, particularly Janis Joplin when Sally was dating him.

In 1964, Bob Dylan attended Sally and Albert’s wedding. Dylan and Sara Lownds first met at this event. The couple were still together, and Dylan had been romantically involved with Joan Baez.

Sara Lownds Meets Bob Dylan

There was a romantic relationship between Sara and Dylan in 1964. According to Robert Shelton, Sara possessed a “Romany spirit” and was well-versed in folklore, magic, and sage advice.

She was described as a well-read, engaging conversationalist, attentive listener, resourceful, quick-witted, kind-hearted, and resourceful author and music critic by David Hajdu. In any case, she seemed to act only when needed, whether she appeared delicate or supremely confident to others.

Dylan embarked on his first “electric” American tour in September 1965. Sara and Jesse Dylan were married during a tour break on November 22, 1965.

After discovering that Sara was pregnant, Dylan and her child from a previous marriage, Maria Dylan, into New York’s Chelsea Hotel. After the tour, he intended to join the children in a safe place.

In the backyard of a judge’s home in Long Island, their wedding was unconventional. She delivered Jesse Dylan shortly after their secret wedding, and he adopted Maria from her previous marriage.

Eventually, the couple settled in Woodstock, in New York, where they had three more children: Anna Dylan, Sam Dylan, and Jakob Dylan.

Elliot Landy recalls Bob Dylan as being exceptionally content at this time, relishing his role as a father and cherishing his time with Sara and the children.

In 1973, they moved to Malibu’s Point Dume from their Woodstock home. Within two years of constructing and remodeling their new home, problems began to arise between them, coinciding with Dylan’s tour of the same name. 

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Album As Evidence

Several viewed this album as evidence of their unraveling marriage, as Dylan was seen openly socializing with other women while on tour. Despite his reputation as a gentleman, Sara remembered Dylan as always being a great parent, with substance abuse and drinking not affecting his treatment of them.

Although their marriage faced strain, Dylan’s wife accompanied him during the 1975 Rolling Thunder Revue tour. This tour provided inspiration for the semi-improvised movie Renaldo and Clara, in which Sara portrayed Clara alongside Bob Dylan as Renaldo. The name of Dylan’s company was derived from Sara’s street of birth, which was regarded as her tribute.

Dylan’s former lover Joan Baez also participated in the Revue and appeared in the film The Woman in White. As the Rolling Thunder Revue entered its second leg in 1976, Sara experienced a nervous breakdown. 

Baez recalled her looking disheveled and distressed, shouting at Bob Dylan in a parking lot, complaining about his mistreatment. Dylan, seemingly unaware of her emotional state, continued his drinking and didn’t alter his behavior. Shortly afterward, Sara filed for divorce.

As Sara Dylan once said, “I cannot return home in peace, my jaw has been injured … and my children are worried about his bizarre behavior.”

Sara Dylan received half of the song royalties written during her marriage when Bob and Sara Dylan divorced in 1977, an estimated $36 million settlement. As part of the agreement, she was required to remain silent on her life during her marriage to Bob Dylan.

Despite the acrimonious divorce, they eventually reconciled and remained friends. There have been reports of physical abuse towards Sara and Bob Dylan’s increasingly erratic behavior which led to the divorce. Bob Dylan was also rumored to have affairs while married to Sara.

Marriage Breakdown

Sara Dylan and Bob Dylan maintained a relatively private life throughout their marriage, though close relatives and colleagues were aware of their relationship.

The moment Bob Dylan discovered Sara was pregnant, he decided to marry her. As soon as Victor Maymudes learned of their marriage, he questioned Dylan’s choice, asking why not Joan Baez. As Dylan explained, if I need her, she’ll be there if I need her. Joan won’t be there if I need her. She won’t ask her.”

Bob Dylan’s friends believe that had he not met Sara, he might have lived a shorter life. Despite her inability to completely manage his alcohol and drug abuse, she had a positive influence on him. His commitment to his family limited his wild behavior.

Dylan was reportedly involved in an accident while returning from a tour on July 29, 1966. Sara Dylan was following in a car. He wasn’t taken hospitalized, and no ambulance or police report was filed.

Dylan Break

Dylan was taking a break from drink and drugs, some believed it was a hoax. He confirmed, however, that he incurred a fractured vertebra years later. Sara had given him a chance to lead a quiet lifestyle since he met her.

He was injured in a motorcycle accident, but he recovered. My true desire was to get away from everyday life. In his memoir, “Chronicles,” he wrote, “I had been injured, but I recovered.

My life changed when I became a parent, and I became isolated from pretty much everyone and everything. My interests beyond my family were limited, and I perceived everything differently.”

Despite occasional concerts since the accident, he did not tour extensively for eight years. In Bob Dylan’s words, Sara gave him stability and normalcy in his life, two things he lacked before. Rather than live a celebrity lifestyle, she was content at home to raise her children.

Then, Bob Dylan’s partying and affairs eventually strained their marriage. After leaving New York, the family lived briefly in Mexico before relocating to California. During this period, their friends say they frequently argued, except when renovating their home, which they seemed to do weekly.

However, in February 1977, their marriage reached a breaking point. In their Malibu home, she found Bob having breakfast with their children and girlfriend one morning.

This led to a dispute, during which she alleged that he struck her face. Divorce papers were filed a couple of days later. Rolling Stone magazine published the divorce petition in its April 7th, 1977 issue and stated that “the respondent, Robert Dylan, shall not harass, pester, molested, or interfere with the privacy and peace of the respondent, Sara Dylan.”.”

A Musical Legacy Of Sara Lownds’ Formerly Renowned Muse

She is believed to have been a muse for many of Bob Dylan’s songs, with two in particular expressing his deep feelings for her. One of these songs is “Sara,” which appears as the closing track “Desire.” Interestingly, it was recorded soon after their first breakup.

Despite being apart, she was present at the studio as Dylan recorded this song, watching on through the glass. Reportedly, Dylan told Sara before beginning the song, “This one’s for you.”

Among the notable lines from the song is, “I spent days working on the song for you.” The line recalls Bob and Sara Dylan’s stay at a Chelsea hotel years ago. After the release of this song, Bob and Sara briefly reconciled.

Sara Dylan’s Current Location

She is believed to have been a muse for many of Bob Dylan’s songs, with two in particular expressing his deep feelings for her. One of these songs is “Sara,” which appears as the closing track on his 1976 album “Desire.” Interestingly, it follows their first separation.

Despite being apart, Sara was present in the studio as Dylan recorded this song, watching through the glass. Reportedly, before beginning the song, he looked at Sara and said, ” It’s for you.”

One notable song line mentions, “Working all through the night at the Chelsea Hotel on ‘Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands’ for you.” This line recalls the time Bob and Sara Dylan stayed at the Chelsea Hotel, harkening to a happier time.

Additionally, the song reflects on the joyful moments Dylan shared with his wife and children. It’s worth noting that Sara and Bob briefly reconciled following the release of this song.

Current Recent Photo Sara Dylan Today

However, in recent times, finding a current photograph of Sara Dylan has become an elusive quest. The absence of recent photographs has inevitably led to speculations and rumors about Sara Dylan’s current life.