Who was Adam Barber? 'Sister Wives' star Janelle Brown's first husband, 54, dies after battling cancer
MURRAY, UTAH: 'Sister Wives' star Janelle Brown's first husband Adam Barber, 54, tragically died after battling terminal cancer on Thursday, October 5.
While Adam loved to keep his personal life private and rarely shared any of his photos on his social media, he married Janelle in 1988 at a young age.
However, after getting divorced from Janelle, Adam married Tammy Schultz Barber. The couple also share three adorable children.
Surprisingly, Adam, who was soon to celebrate his 55th birthday is also Meri Brown's brother.
Meri Brown mourns the death of her brother Adam Barber
Meri Brown recently took to Instagram and penned a lengthy and heartfelt tribute to her brother.
The reality star wrote, "About 5 weeks ago I got a text from my brother saying he had made the decision to not continue his chemo treatment, due to the rapid progression of his cancer & deterioration of his body."
Meri added, "I have so many good memories with him over the years, because, of siblings. I also have some not-so-good memories with him through the years, because, siblings."
She further noted, "Shortly after I learned that Adam's cancer was terminal & that he potentially had only weeks or months to live, something hit me like a ton of bricks."
The reality star elaborated, "After his passing, I would be the one remaining from the original four. We lost Teresa, our sister just younger than me, to cancer in 2006. We lost our oldest brother Marc to heart issues in 2015. Now Adam to another type of cancer."
She concluded her tribute, noting, "Regardless, (and you have no idea how bad I want to type in 'irregardless' there, in honor of him & our many arguments about whether that is even a word) I will move forward living, loving, forgiving, remembering. PS Adam, I have the last word. And that is REGARDLESS."
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How did Janelle Brown meet Adam Barber?
In the 'Sister Wives' 2012 memoir, 'Becoming Sister Wives: The Story of an Unconventional Marriage', Janelle who met Adam towards the end of high school recalled her brief marriage with him.
She wrote in the memoir, "Toward the end of high school, I met a student named Adam, with whom I was quite taken. I knew he wasn’t Mormon, which meant we had no hope of being together unless he converted."
She recalled mentioning the boy she had a crush on to her grandmother, who knew his name. Janelle had formerly resided close to the Barbers.
Why did Janelle Brown divorce Adam Barber?
Janelle Brown and Adam Barber divorced in 1990 after getting married in 1988. While Janelle never disclosed the reason for her divorce, Christine and Kody Brown's daughter, Mykelti Brown, revealed Adam was abusive.
During a live stream on her Patreon account, captured by Without A Crystal Ball, a fan asked if Janelle and Meri's relationship was bad after they became sister wives because of Janelle's divorce from her husband.
However, Mykelti claimed that it had nothing to do with that. Mykelti said, "So Janelle's first husband was abusive to her, so that’s why she left him." Meanwhile, Janelle has never confirmed or denied Mykelti's allegations.
Janelle's mom Sheryl Brown and Kody Brown's dad William Winn were married
Besides being married and leading a polyamorous lifestyle, Janelle and Kody Brown were also step-siblings. Kody's father, William Winn Brown, and Janelle Brown's mother, Sheryl Brown, were married for several years.
William was also a fundamentalist Mormon and subsequently practiced polygamy himself. Janelle and her mother Sheryl became interested in joining the Browns' new faith at around the same time in their lives.
However, Kody's father sadly died in 2013 at the age of 78 in Wyoming. Meanwhile, Janelle's mother Sheryl died in 2020.