RiffBlog

Sergio Novak: Where is Shirley Bassey's ex-husband now?

Sergio Novak is the ex-husband of Shirley Bassey. Sergio Novak’s ex-wife is a Welsh singer. She is renowned for her strident sultry voice, sequined gowns, and lavish jewelry. She was a forerunner of the score of pop music divas who emerged in the last decades of the 20th century. She recorded the theme songs to three James Bond films-  Goldfinger (1964), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Moonraker (1979). Bassey has also had numerous BBC television specials, and she hosted her own variety series, Shirley Bassey.

Sergio Novak: Bio Summary

Full NameSergio Novak
famous as*Shirley Bassey’s ex-husband
AgeN/A
Date of BirthN/A
Place of BirthN/A
Zodiac signGemini
NationalityItalian
EthnicityItalian
ChildrenN/A
spouse Shirley Bassey (m. 1968–1979)

Who is Shirley Bassey’s husband?

Shirley Bassey has been married twice. Her second married was to Sergio Novak in 1968. Before Navak, the singer was married to Kenneth Hume. Hume and Bassey tied the knot in 1961. Hume who was an all-but-avowed homosexual per Elisarolle was married twice to Shirley Bassey and divorced as often (all within a three-year period). They separated in 1964 and ended it all finally in 1965.

ALSO, READ; Kenneth Hume: What happened to Shirley Bassey’s ex-husband?

During their marriage, Shirley had a daughter, Samantha Bassey, whose father has been disputed due to Shirley’s affair with actor Peter Finch. Tragically, Samantha died in 1985 at 21 years old. She was found dead in the River Avon in Bristol. Police said there was no crime but Shirley remained suspicious. The Love Story singer’s grief was so strong she was unable to sing for six months. Grieving Shirley retreated to her home in Switzerland. “I never wanted to sing again,” she says. “Children should bury their ­parents, not the other way round.”

ALSO, READ; Samantha Bassey: How did Shirley Bassey’s daughter die?

Shirley Bassey and Sergio Novak’s marriage

Shirley met and married Sergio Novak, the assistant manager of the Excelsior Hotel in Venice, on August 13, 1968, in a brief ceremony that took place at 2.30 am. The couple married in a beautiful wedding ceremony in the presence of their friends, families, and loved ones. The venue was the Little Church of the West in Las Vegas (where Shirley was appearing in cabaret at the Sahara Hotel).

The singer’s two daughters were bridesmaids. The bride wore blue, and in the wedding photographs, she looks extremely happy, and very much in love. Sergio, on the other hand, looks rather wooden.

“My daughters adore Sergio,” She told Mirror. “He will be a wonderful father.” As time went by Shirley’s daughters Sharon and Samantha both took Novak’s name. During this time, Novak was Bassey’s manager, and the couple also adopted Mark, her grand-nephew.

ALSO, READ; Mark Novak: What happened to Shirley Bassey’s son?

Where is Sergio Novak now?

Though they promised each other forever, things didn’t go as planned for Shirley Bassey and her husband Sergio Novak. They ended their marriage in 1979 after being together for more than a decade. Sergio Novak has been totally out of the limelight after their marriage came to an end. It is unclear if he ever married again.

The singer would later blame the collapse of her marriage on the fact that she had allowed Sergio to become her manager. She said: “My first husband was in the business, so it was more like a partnership. I didn’t learn from my mistake, I did it again and, second time, it was even worse. We were talking about contracts in bed.”

ALSO, READ; Sharon Bassey: Where is Shirley Bassey’s daughter now?

Sergio Novak, on the other hand, claims that the marriage ended because Shirley was having an affair with her Australian road manager Kenny Carter per Mirror’s report. “Her stardom transferred to her private life. And Shirley has a bad temper.“- Novak said.

After their marriage ended, Shirley never wanted to get married again. No more wedding bells for me Shirley said. “ I have been happily married to my profession for years, she once said. I think men are afraid of me. They fear women who are successful, because we are strong, know what we want, and are not vulnerable. I have already been independent and men have difficulty with that.“- revealed on her website.

“None of my relationships have worked out,” she told Mirror. “They’ve all been great in the beginning, then after a year they think no, I can’t cope with this anymore. “They were called Mr Bassey. It’s very difficult for a woman who’s successful.” Decades later, Shirley would dismissively refer to her second husband Sergio Novak on stage as simply “the Italian”.

ALSO, READ; Kenneth Hume: What happened to Shirley Bassey’s ex-husband?

What happened to Shirley Bassey’s husband?

Shirley Bassey’s first husband Kenneth Hume, whom she married in 1961 and divorced four years later, committed suicide by overdosing on drugs in 1967. Her ex-husband’s death left Bassey devastated. “I was so angry with Kenneth for leaving me like that,” she said once. “How could he do this to me? And why?” Her second marriage, to Italian producer Sergio Novak, also ended in divorce. Novak has been totally out of the limelight living a private life.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pbXCsqurnZ6ZwG%2BvzqZmrJ2inLawec2orZqjXay1pr7EZqCsZaOdtrO4xLJkm5mjqLK6v4yer2agpaivorrDZqWor18%3D

Abbie Anker

Update: 2024-05-20