Actress Ann Margaret and her husband Roger Smith arrive at the 56th annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony in Beverly Hills, January 24, 1999. (Reuters)
Many fans still remember Ann-Margret when she starred opposite Elvis Presley in the 1964 film “Viva Las Vegas,” which led to an affair off-camera.
However, the now-76-year-old found love with husband Roger Smith — and one source revealed she was “an amazing nurse” to the “77 Strip” star while he battled myasthenia gravis for years until his death on June 4 at age 84.
“They were a totally devoted couple, and Ann had put her highly successful career on the back burner years ago in order to care for the man she loves,” the insider told Closer Weekly.
The couple married in 1967 and celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary May 8.
“He really wanted to reach that 50-year mark,” the source added.
Smith retired from acting after being diagnosed in 1980. After that, he managed Ann-Margret’s career and produced several of her TV specials.
Ann-Margret had no problem being completely devoted to her beau over the years.
“Now in Roger I’ve found all the men I need rolled into one — a father, a friend, a lover, a manager, a businessman,” she told writer Rex Reed in 1972. “It’s perfect for me. I couldn’t exist without a strong man.”
The source said while Ann-Margret is doing her best to move on, “she will be lost without her husband.”
Smith is survived by his wife, as well as a daughter and two sons from his first marriage to actress Victoria Shaw.
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