Della Beatrice Howard Robinson is best known as the second wife of Ray Charles, the mother of three of his sons, and the woman portrayed by Kerry Washington in the 2004 film Ray. Their marriage lasted from 1955 until 1977, covering the period when Charles grew from a touring musician into one of the most influential artists in American music.
Her public biography is much less detailed than her former husband’s. Reliable sources document her marriage, children, connection to gospel singing, and cooperation with the filmmakers behind Ray, but her exact date of birth, age, parents, education, height, net worth, current residence, and living status are not publicly confirmed. That limited record makes it necessary to separate established facts from the unsupported details repeated by celebrity biography websites.
Profile Summary
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Della Beatrice Howard Robinson |
| Common Name | Della Bea Robinson; Bea Robinson |
| Date of Birth | Not publicly confirmed |
| Age | Not publicly confirmed |
| Birthplace | Not publicly confirmed |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Not publicly confirmed |
| Religion | Not publicly confirmed |
| Height | Not publicly confirmed |
| Parents | Not publicly confirmed |
| Siblings | Not publicly confirmed |
| Former Spouse | Ray Charles |
| Marriage | 1955–1977 |
| Children | Ray Charles Robinson Jr., David Robinson, and Robert Robinson |
| Education | Not publicly confirmed |
| Profession | Historically identified as a gospel singer |
| Musical Association | Union Spiritual Harmonizers |
| Famous For | Marriage to Ray Charles and portrayal in the film Ray |
| Net Worth | Not publicly confirmed |
| Social Media | No verified public accounts located |
| Current Status | Not publicly confirmed |
Who Is Della Beatrice Howard Robinson?
Della Beatrice Howard Robinson became part of music history through her long marriage to Ray Charles. She was his second wife, and their relationship lasted for roughly 22 years. During that time, Charles recorded major hits, toured extensively, struggled with addiction, and built the musical legacy that later earned him recognition as a defining figure in soul, rhythm and blues, jazz, gospel, and popular music.
Robinson’s story is often told as a supporting part of Charles’s biography, but the available record also presents her as a mother managing family life during years of constant travel and professional pressure. She and Charles had three sons together: Ray Charles Robinson Jr., David Robinson, and Robert Robinson.
Modern audiences may know her best through Ray, the Taylor Hackford-directed film starring Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles. Kerry Washington played Della Bea and met the real Robinson while preparing for the role. Washington later described her as a private person who rarely spoke to the press but agreed to help the filmmakers understand her life and relationship.
Early Life and Family Background
Reliable information about Robinson’s childhood is limited. Her exact birth date, birth year, birthplace, parents, siblings, and early education have not been established through dependable public records or a detailed first-person account.
Several online biographies claim that she was born in either 1928 or 1929. Some place her birth in Los Angeles, while other pages associate her with Richmond or Houston. These claims are often repeated without birth records, family confirmation, or clear sourcing, so they should not be treated as settled facts.
Historical research into Houston gospel music offers the strongest lead about her early background. It describes Della Beatrice “Bea” Howard as a Houston native and connects her with the Union Spiritual Harmonizers, a gospel group associated with singer and organizer Cecil Shaw.
That account supports a genuine connection to Houston’s gospel community. It does not, however, confirm her exact birthplace or provide a complete childhood timeline. The safest description is that Robinson had documented ties to Houston and participated in gospel singing before or around the period when she met Ray Charles.
Claims about her parents, family circumstances, farm upbringing, schooling, or an alleged earlier marriage are not supported strongly enough for publication as fact. Robinson did not release a public memoir, and few verified interviews exist in which she discussed her youth.
Della Robinson’s Gospel Singing Background
Robinson is frequently described as a gospel singer, though the scale of her career is sometimes exaggerated. Specialist gospel-history material identifies her as a one-time member of the Union Spiritual Harmonizers in Houston.
This association places her within a religious musical culture that strongly influenced rhythm and blues and soul music. Gospel groups of the period often performed at churches, community programs, radio broadcasts, and regional events, though many never produced extensive commercial recordings.
No verified solo album, major solo recording contract, national chart history, or established discography under Robinson’s name has been located. There is also no dependable evidence that she was an award-winning national star or a major arena performer.
A reported 2026 film project about her life described her singing career in much larger terms, including claims of national recognition. Those statements appear to come from promotional material and have not been independently confirmed through contemporary reviews, music databases, newspaper archives, or recording catalogs.
A careful biography can still recognize her musical background without overstating it. Robinson appears to have been a real participant in Houston gospel music, but the duration, professional structure, and public reach of that work remain unclear.
How Della Robinson Met Ray Charles
Accounts of the couple’s first meeting differ. One historical gospel source says Robinson heard Ray Charles during a Houston radio broadcast and contacted the station because she hoped to connect him with Cecil Shaw. It places that event in the early 1950s.
The same account contains a chronology problem because it implies a marriage earlier than the well-established 1955 date. Other biographies place the couple’s meeting in Texas in 1954, but many of those accounts do not identify their original evidence.
What can be stated with confidence is that Robinson and Charles met during the early part of his career, when he was traveling, recording, and developing a musical identity shaped by gospel, blues, jazz, and rhythm and blues. Their shared connection to music appears to have been part of their early relationship.
The exact date and circumstances should remain qualified. A dramatized version in Ray also should not be treated as documentary proof, since biographical films often combine events, alter dialogue, and simplify timelines.
Marriage to Ray Charles
Della Bea Robinson and Ray Charles married in 1955. April 5 is widely listed as their wedding date, although the marriage year is supported more firmly than the exact day by established reporting.
Charles had previously been married briefly to Eileen Williams. His marriage to Robinson became his longest and produced three sons. It also coincided with the period in which his career expanded at remarkable speed.
During the late 1950s and 1960s, Charles recorded songs including “What’d I Say,” “Georgia on My Mind,” “Hit the Road Jack,” and “I Can’t Stop Loving You.” His schedule involved recording sessions, television appearances, concerts, and long periods on the road.
Kerry Washington later said that her conversations with Robinson included the realities of raising children while Charles was frequently away. That account provides a rare personal view of Robinson’s place within the family. She was not simply present at the edge of his public success; she was responsible for much of the home life that continued during his absences.
The marriage also existed alongside difficult parts of Charles’s personal history. His heroin addiction, arrests, affairs, and children with other women are well documented in biographies, interviews, and family accounts. Those circumstances placed pressure on the relationship, though Robinson’s own complete account of the marriage has never been published.
Della Robinson and Ray Charles’s Children
Robinson and Charles had three sons: Ray Charles Robinson Jr., David Robinson, and Robert Robinson. They should be distinguished from Charles’s other children, who had different mothers.
Ray Charles Robinson Jr. was the couple’s eldest son. He later wrote You Don’t Know Me: Reflections of My Father, Ray Charles, published in 2010. The memoir presented a son’s view of a famous father whose professional life often kept him away from home, while also giving readers a more personal portrait of Della as a mother.
David and Robert have maintained lower public profiles. Both were identified among Ray Charles’s children in established family and obituary reporting, but their personal lives, careers, relationships, and current activities are not extensively documented.
Ray Charles fathered 12 children with several women. This wider family history has sometimes caused confusion on biography pages, where all of his children may be discussed without clearly identifying their mothers. Only Ray Jr., David, and Robert are publicly documented as the sons of Della Bea Robinson and Ray Charles.
Why Della and Ray Charles Divorced
Robinson and Charles divorced in 1977 after approximately 22 years of marriage. The divorce ended his longest marriage, but it did not erase their shared family history or her place in the years when his career reached global prominence.
Charles’s addiction, repeated absences, and relationships outside the marriage are established parts of his biography. These issues are widely understood to have strained his family life. Still, no dependable, detailed statement from Robinson has been located in which she presents one single reason for the divorce.
For that reason, it would be unfair to place invented words in her mouth or reduce a long marriage to one event. The available evidence supports a broader picture of a relationship tested by touring, addiction, infidelity, fame, and the demands of raising children.
After the divorce, Robinson did not build a media career around her former husband. She did not publish a tell-all memoir, become a regular interview subject, or maintain a visible public platform. Her life after 1977 remains largely outside dependable reporting.
Kerry Washington’s Portrayal of Della in Ray
The release of Ray in 2004 brought renewed attention to Robinson. Jamie Foxx played Ray Charles in an Academy Award-winning performance, while Kerry Washington portrayed Della Bea as a central figure in his family life.
Washington’s preparation created one of the most useful sources about Robinson herself. In a 2004 interview, the actress said she met Robinson and was able to ask detailed questions about her past, relationship, children, preferences, and experience within the social world of the period.
According to Washington, Robinson normally avoided press interviews. She agreed to speak with the film’s screenwriter and allowed Washington access that she had rarely given publicly.
Washington said she spoke with Robinson on the morning of her first day filming. She later reduced their contact during production because she did not want her admiration for Robinson to turn the character into an unrealistic ideal. Her goal was to portray a full human being rather than a flawless symbol.
The actress also protected the privacy of their discussions. She declined to repeat certain personal comments Robinson had shared with her, making clear that their access was based on trust.
Washington later reported that Robinson liked the completed film. That reaction matters because Ray dramatized painful material from the marriage, including Charles’s addiction and relationships with other women.
Even with Robinson’s cooperation, the movie should not be treated as a word-for-word record. Scenes, dialogue, locations, and timing were shaped for dramatic storytelling. The film is useful for understanding how popular culture remembers Della Bea, but verified biographical claims should come from historical reporting, interviews, family accounts, and records.
Life After Her Divorce From Ray Charles
Very little is publicly documented about Robinson’s life after 1977. No dependable source establishes a later marriage, long-term partner, business venture, public office, entertainment career, or permanent residence.
This absence of information should not be described as disappearance or secrecy. Robinson had already shown little interest in publicity, and her limited cooperation with Ray appears to have been a rare exception rather than the beginning of a public career.
Reports about Ray Charles’s later estate, music rights, charitable foundation, or trusts for his children do not establish Robinson’s finances or legal interests. She and Charles had been divorced for decades by the time he died in June 2004.
No verified social-media presence has emerged under her name. Accounts belonging to unrelated people, fan pages, automated profiles, and memorial posts should not be mistaken for official pages.
Her current residence, health, family relationships, and daily life remain private. Responsible coverage should accept those limits rather than fill them with assumptions.
Della Beatrice Howard Robinson’s Age and Birth Date
Robinson’s exact age is one of the most common search questions, but it does not have a reliable public answer. Biography websites frequently list 1928 or 1929 as her birth year, sometimes attaching a specific month and day without identifying a birth certificate, public record, or direct statement.
Those conflicting years lead websites to publish different ages. Once the original birth information is uncertain, any age calculated from it is also uncertain.
Some pages also repeat Los Angeles as her birthplace, while the historical gospel account identifies her as a Houston native. Being called a native of a city may describe where someone grew up or became closely associated with a community; it does not always establish the exact place of birth.
The accurate position is simple: Della Beatrice Howard Robinson’s date of birth, age, and exact birthplace are not publicly confirmed through strong evidence.
Height, Ethnicity, and Religion
Robinson’s height is not publicly confirmed. The figure of 5 feet 5 inches appears on several celebrity-profile pages, but those sites do not show where the measurement came from.
Her ethnicity is also commonly filled in by biography sites without attribution. Photographs and family history should not be used as substitutes for a person’s own identification or a reliable biographical record.
Robinson’s involvement with gospel music indicates participation in a religious musical tradition, but it does not prove a specific lifelong faith, church membership, or denomination. Her religion should therefore be listed as not publicly confirmed.
These details may look routine in a profile table, yet false precision weakens an otherwise accurate biography. Leaving an unsupported field unconfirmed is more useful than repeating a popular guess.
Della Robinson’s Net Worth
Della Robinson’s net worth has not been reliably reported. Several celebrity biography websites assign her an estimated fortune of about $15 million, but they offer no financial records, property documents, divorce settlement details, business filings, or credible calculation.
Her historical gospel activity may have produced some income, but there is no public record showing how much she earned or whether singing remained a paid profession after her marriage.
It is also incorrect to use the value of Ray Charles’s music catalog, foundation, estate, real estate, or investments as proof of Robinson’s personal wealth. They divorced in 1977, and available estate reporting does not establish that those assets belonged to her.
Private finances are rarely fully visible, especially for a person who has avoided public business ventures and celebrity publicity. The safest conclusion is that her exact assets, income sources, and net worth are not publicly confirmed.
Social Media and Public Image
No verified Instagram, X, TikTok, or Facebook account belonging to Robinson has been identified. Searches under her full name and the shorter name Della Bea Robinson produce unrelated users, fan posts, film material, and automated biography content.
Her public image comes mostly from people who knew her or studied Ray Charles’s life. Kerry Washington described a woman who valued privacy and carefully chose what she shared. Ray Jr.’s memoir offered a family perspective centered on the experience of growing up with a famous and often absent father.
Period photographs show Robinson with Charles and their children, but those images require careful caption verification. Archival photographs are sometimes reposted with incorrect dates, missing names, or unclear ownership.
The most respectful public description is that Robinson was a gospel-connected singer, a mother of three, and a central member of Ray Charles’s family during his most important career years. She later chose not to turn that history into sustained public exposure.
The Reported Della B. Robinson Story Film
A March 2026 entertainment report stated that a faith-based film titled The Della B. Robinson Story was in development. The report connected the project to Hit Song Productions and named Robert Eisele as screenwriter and Lexi Lewis as an executive producer.
The project was presented as a film that would place Robinson at the center of her own story, rather than showing her mainly through Ray Charles’s career. Promotional descriptions emphasized her gospel background, marriage, motherhood, and personal sacrifice.
As of July 2026, no confirmed release date, full cast, filming schedule, distributor, trailer, or completed production announcement had been established in the available research. Robinson’s own involvement or approval was also not publicly confirmed.
The project should therefore be described as reported or in development, not as a completed movie or guaranteed release. Its status may change, so production details need to be checked again before any future update is published.
Common Misinformation About Della Robinson
The lack of a detailed official biography has allowed unsupported information to spread widely. Her age, birthplace, height, weight, religion, ethnicity, net worth, and current status are often presented with confidence even when the original source is missing.
Another questionable claim says she died in the 1980s. That appears to come from an unreferenced genealogy or namesake entry and conflicts with Kerry Washington’s documented meetings with Robinson during preparation for the 2004 film.
Obituaries for unrelated women named Della Robinson or Bea Robinson also appear in search results. A name match alone is not enough to identify an obituary as hers, especially without matching children, former spouse, location, and life history.
Claims about an abusive first marriage, specific parents, childhood poverty, a farm upbringing, or leaving school in the fourth grade also circulate on copied biography pages. None of those details is supported strongly enough to include as established fact.
The same caution applies to claims that she inherited Ray Charles’s fortune, received a multimillion-dollar divorce settlement, or earns music royalties. No dependable financial record reviewed for this profile confirms those statements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Della Beatrice Howard Robinson?
Della Beatrice Howard Robinson is the second former wife of Ray Charles and the mother of three of his sons. She is also known as Della Bea Robinson and was portrayed by Kerry Washington in the 2004 film Ray.
How old is Della Beatrice Howard Robinson?
Her age is not publicly confirmed. Online sources commonly list birth years of 1928 or 1929, but those claims lack dependable supporting records.
Where was Della Robinson born?
Her exact birthplace is not publicly confirmed. Historical gospel research calls her a Houston native, while less reliable biography sites list other locations.
Was Della Robinson a gospel singer?
Yes, historical research identifies her as a one-time gospel singer with the Union Spiritual Harmonizers in Houston. No verified solo discography or major commercial recording career has been established.
When did Della Robinson marry Ray Charles?
She married Ray Charles in 1955, with April 5 commonly listed as the wedding date. Their marriage lasted until their divorce in 1977.
How many children did Della and Ray Charles have?
They had three sons together: Ray Charles Robinson Jr., David Robinson, and Robert Robinson. Ray Charles had other children with other women, but those children should not be identified as Robinson’s.
Did Kerry Washington meet Della Robinson?
Yes. Washington said she met and interviewed Robinson while preparing to portray her in Ray. She also said Robinson was private and normally avoided press interviews.
Is Della Beatrice Howard Robinson still alive?
Her current living status is not publicly confirmed through a dependable recent statement or clearly matching public record. Unsupported obituary and genealogy entries should not be treated as proof.
What is Della Robinson’s net worth?
Her net worth is not publicly confirmed. The widely repeated $15 million estimate is unsupported by financial filings, property records, settlement documents, or a credible calculation.
Does Della Robinson have Instagram?
No verified Instagram account belonging to her has been located. Profiles with similar names should not be treated as official without independent authentication.
Conclusion
Della Beatrice Howard Robinson matters because her life offers a family-centered view of Ray Charles’s rise. She experienced those decades not as a distant observer but as his wife and the mother of three of his sons during years defined by artistic success, long absences, addiction, and personal strain.
Her own connection to Houston gospel music deserves recognition, though the available evidence does not support claims of a major solo career. Her cooperation with Kerry Washington and the creators of Ray also preserved part of her perspective without turning her private life into a permanent media subject.
Much of her biography remains outside the public record. Her birth date, age, parents, education, height, personal finances, present residence, and current living status are not reliably confirmed.
That uncertainty is part of an accurate account rather than a gap to be filled with guesses. The clearest portrait is of a gospel-connected singer, mother, and former spouse whose importance to a celebrated musical story was greater than the amount of publicity she ever sought.