Carlos Santana’s Wife: Everything To Know About His 12-Year Marriage To Cindy Blackman, Plus Previous Spouse

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Carlos Santana is on the mend after he was rushed to a hospital during a Detroit concert on Tuesday, July 5. The 74-year-old iconic guitarist was reportedly 20 minutes into the set performing his song “Joy” when he collapsed onstage, per Setlist.fm. “Please know that he’s resting and doing very well!” his wife Cindy Blackman wrote on her social media two days after the incident. “He was diagnosed with heat exhaustion & dehydration… it was 100 degrees on stage and 114 under the lights so that coupled with not enough water is what caused the issue.”

The musician is expected to make a full recovery, although he did postpone his remaining July dates for his “Miraculous Supernatural” tour “out of an abundance of caution” after the health scare. “Carlos is doing well and is anxious to be back onstage soon. He just needs rest,” Michael Vrionis, president of Universal Tone Management, said in a statement. “Santana profoundly regrets these postponements of his upcoming performances; but his health is our number one concern.”

With Cindy supporting him, Carlos will hopefully be back in no time to treat his fans to his incredible guitar skills. In the meantime, let’s take a closer look at the woman who is keeping an eye on Carlos — and the woman who did it before for over 30 years, his ex Deborah King — below.

Deborah King

Born January 30, 1951, Deborah is the daughter of famous blues musician Saunders King. She graduated from the California Institute of Integral Studies and holds a Master of Arts in Philosophy and Religion with a Concentration in Women’s Spirituality. ^{The social justice activist married guitarist Carlos in 1973 and the couple welcomed three children: Salvador, Stella, and Angelica.}

In 2007, Deborah filed for divorce after 34 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. However, in her 2005 memoir, “Space Between the Stars,” Deborah described her husband as being unfaithful, per The Hollywood Reporter. After the book was published, Carlos admitted he made mistakes via a statement, saying, “I sincerely apologized to her and to my kids when I wasn’t in my right mind and did something hurtful. It has helped me become more humble and to try harder to be the man she wants me to be.”

Cindy Blackman

The drummer, born on November 18, 1959, grew up in Yellow Springs, Ohio. After studying at the Hartt School of Music and the Berklee College of Music, Cindy landed a career-defining role as the drummer for Lenny Kravitz in 1993, and ended up touring with him for 18 years.

During her touring years, she met and performed with Carlos. He became so enamored with her, he proposed to her on stage during one of their performances in July 2010. On December 19, 2010, the couple married at the Ritz-Carlton on Maui. “Cindy is a match with everything that I am, from fire of passion to vulnerability,” he told People at the time of the wedding. “Everything tastes better when you share it with your soul mate.”