Myrna Colley-Lee: Exploring Her Life After Divorce From Morgan Freeman

Myrna Colley-Lee is Morgan Freeman's second ex-wife: Everything to know about her long-dissolved marriage!  

Better known as the former wife of Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman, Myrna Colley-Lee is a prolific costume designer and philanthropist. Despite having a successful career in Hollywood and boasting a host of accolades, Myrna's life was dominantly defined by her marriage and divorce with Freeman.  

Born in 1941 in Hamlet, Colley-Lee was fortunate enough to obtain a higher education that'll eventually carve her a reputable career in the industry. She graduated with a degree in art education from the Woman's College of the University of North Carolina. She earned a Master's in scenic and costume design from Temple University in Philadelphia in 1980. 

Everything to Know About Myrna Colley-Lee and Morgan Freeman's Marriage and Divorce!  

Both Myrna and Freeman were in their heydays when they struck a romance in the early 80s. While Colley-Lee was thriving as a costume designer and had designed for several hit flicks, Freeman quickly rose to become the Hollywood titan he is today.    

The Academy-winning actor had just ended his 11-year-long marriage with his first wife, Jeanette Adair Bradshaw when his paths crossed with Colley-Lee in the 80s. The Hamlet-born costume designer and the actor reportedly met through mutual friends, and it didn't take them long to find a connection.  

The pair had a short-lived dating bliss before jumping into a marital relationship. Myrna and Freeman tied the knot in an intimate ceremony on June 16, 1984, and went on to live a notoriously private life in Tallahatchie County in northern Mississippi.   

Colley-Lee and Freeman didn't welcome any kids of their own during their 23-year-long marriage, but Myrna did form an affectionate bond with Morgan's four kids from his first marriage. Although the couple lived a quiet marital life, all that reticence was an effort down the drain when their divorce sparked a slew of scandals.  

The duo's marriage had reportedly ended in late 2007, but the news became official when Colley-Lee filed for a divorce in 2008. There had only been a slow swirl of rumors about the pair's estrangement, but Myrna's first move proved the speculations right. The couple's divorce was tainted by alleged affairs, alcoholic behavior, and more.    

The news of their divorce surfaced shortly after Freeman's serious car crash in August 2008. Rumor mills at the time believed that the Oscar-winning actor was embroiled in an affair with a woman named Demaris Meyer, who was with Morgan in the vehicle when the near-deadly crash happened.  

As the divorce process went on, more murky allegations against the actor emerged, including that he had a decade-long affair with his step-granddaughter, E'Dena Hines, who was the granddaughter of Morgan's first wife, Jeanette Adair Bradshaw.  

The pair's bitter divorce unveiled Morgan's alleged affair with his step-granddaughter, late E'Dena Hines! 

Hines, who was brutally murdered by her boyfriend, Lamar Davenport, in 2015, reportedly opened up to Myrna about her clandestine relationship with Morgan. "Myrna said E'dena told her that when she was a teenager, she and Morgan went to dinner at a friend's house one evening," an insider shared, adding, "They stopped just short of having intercourse."  

The insider further alleges that Myrna confronted Freeman about the incident, but the sickening relationship continued. Although Freeman vehemently denied the accusations, many deemed the Shawshank Redemption actor capable of the crime after eight women accused Freeman of sexual misconduct in 2018.  

What has Myrna Colley-Lee been up to since her divorce from Morgan Freeman?  

Except for occasional red-carpet appearances, Colley-Lee's presence in the industry was nearly nil while married to Freeman. Since her divorce from the Oscar winner, the costume designer has gone all more MIA. Colley-Lee, 82, didn't walk down the aisle again after her bitter divorce from Freeman, who also remains unmarried at 86.   

Myrna's name last popped into the headlines not long ago. In 2022, she was awarded the esteemed Governor's Arts Awards for "Excellence in Costume Design and Arts Patron" by the Mississippi Senate. The award also acknowledged her exceptional contributions as a philanthropist, arts advocate, and patron.  

Colley-Lee may not be a prevalent name in Hollywood, but her achievements in art and its upliftment are above and beyond. In 2017, Myrna was a key figure in organizing an art gallery, Reflections: African American Life from the Myrna Colley–Lee Collection, that focused on Afro-American experiences in Columbus Museum, Georgia. 

Myrna proudly lives up to her title as the foremost costume designer in the Black Theatre Movement in the 60s as she holds spots on various boards, including the Rock River Foundation, the Mississippi State University Department of Art, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C., and more.  

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