Editing Gladys Knight (section)

==Personal life==
[[File:Gladys Knight - 2016.jpg|thumb|upright|Knight in 2016]]
In 1960, Knight married [[Atlanta]] musician and high school sweetheart James "Jimmy" Newman.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Knight |first1=Gladys |title=Between Each Line of Pain and Glory: My Life Story |date=1997 |pages=121–122}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://people.com/archive/pain-and-glory-vol-48-no-23/|title=Pain and Glory |last=Dougherty|first=Steve|date=December 8, 1997|website=People}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=A Gentle Singer Reveals The Best-And Worst-Things That Ever Happened To Her |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1997/11/03/a-gentle-singer-reveals-the-best-and-worst-things-that-ever-happened-to-her/ |website=Chicago Tribune |date=August 11, 2021 }}</ref> The couple had a miscarriage and went on to have two children. Their son, James "Jimmy" Gaston Newman III, was born in 1962,<ref name="LasVegasSun.com">{{Cite news|url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/1999/jul/13/record-exec-entertainment-manager-newman-dies/|title=Record exec, entertainment manager Newman dies|date=July 13, 1999|work=LasVegasSun.com|access-date=December 16, 2017|language=en}}</ref> and their daughter, Kenya Maria Newman, was born in 1963. In the early 1960s, Knight's family and the Pips moved to [[Detroit]]. The family lived in [[Sherwood Forest, Detroit|Sherwood Forest]], an upscale neighborhood on Detroit's West Side. Knight retired from the road to raise their children while the Pips toured on their own, later returning with Newman as the group's musical director. Newman later became addicted to drugs and left the family when Knight was 20. They remained married for over 12 years and were separated for 7 years until their divorce in 1973.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal|date=January 25, 1973|title=Gladys Knight Receives Divorce From Husband|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qbEDAAAAMBAJ&q=James+Newman+Gladys+Knight&pg=PA56|journal=Jet |volume= 43| issue =  18|pages=56}}</ref> Newman died a few years later.<ref name="Gladys Knight">{{Cite web|url=https://www.biography.com/people/gladys-knight-9542334|title=Gladys Knight |website=Biography.com|language=en-us|access-date=December 16, 2017}}</ref>

In 1974, Knight married [[Barry Hankerson]], founder of [[Blackground Records]], in Detroit. The couple had a son, Shanga Ali Hankerson, born on August 1, 1976. Around 1977, they relocated to Las Vegas. Their marriage ended in 1979 with a prolonged custody battle over their son.<ref name="Gladys Knight" /><ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=iEIDAAAAMBAJ&q=gladys+knight&pg=PA56|title=Gladys Knight agrees to return son to Detroit so father can visit him|magazine=Jet|date=February 22, 1979|via=Google Books}}</ref> Knight spent over a million dollars searching for her son after he was kidnapped.<ref name="Lacher">{{Cite news|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/24/entertainment/la-ca-conversation-20110724/2|title=The Sunday Conversation: Gladys Knight|last=Lacher|first=Irene|date=July 24, 2011|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=December 16, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035|archive-date=September 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928023959/http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/24/entertainment/la-ca-conversation-20110724/2|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1995, Knight married motivational speaker [[Les Brown (speaker)|Les Brown]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ijgDAAAAMBAJ&q=les+brown+gladys+knight+married&pg=PA32 |title=Jet – Google Books |website=Books.google.com |date=October 9, 1995 |publisher=Johnson Publishing Company |access-date=August 18, 2015}}</ref> divorcing in 1997.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://people.com/archive/pain-and-glory-vol-48-no-23/|title=Pain and Glory|volume=48|number=23|magazine=People|access-date=November 17, 2017|language=en}}</ref>

Knight was raised a [[Baptist]], later was a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]], and was baptized in 1997 into [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], inspired by her daughter and son who had left Catholicism to join.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://articles.philly.com/1997-10-05/entertainment/25540047_1_midnight-train-gladys-knight-divorce-papers/2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915122549/http://articles.philly.com/1997-10-05/entertainment/25540047_1_midnight-train-gladys-knight-divorce-papers/2 |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 15, 2012 |title=Soul Survivor In Her New Memoir, Gladys Knight Looks Back At Nearly Five Decades In Show Business. Pips And All. By All Indications, The Singer's Story Is Far From Over. - philly-archives |website=Articles.philly.com |date=October 5, 1997 |access-date=August 18, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Albright|first=Mark|date=January 21, 2013|title=The Gladys Knight Conversion Story {{!}} Meridian Magazine|url=https://latterdaysaintmag.com/article-1-12092/|access-date=July 4, 2021|website=Meridian Magazine {{!}} Latter-day Saint News and Views}}</ref> She had occasionally teased [[President of the Church (LDS Church)|LDS president]] [[Gordon B. Hinckley]], saying they needed to inject some "pep" into their music.<ref>2006 September, Desert Saints Magazine</ref> He agreed, which resulted in the founding of the [[Saints Unified Voices]] gospel choir directed by Knight. In 2018, Knight led the Be One Choir at the "Be One" event in [[Salt Lake City, Utah]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2018/06/02/be-one-celebration-thrills-the-audience-with-stories-of-trailblazing-black-mormons-and-songs-of-rejoicing-and-reflection-from-gladys-knight-multiracial-choirs-and-others/|title='Be One' celebration thrills the audience with stories of trailblazing black Mormons and songs of rejoicing and reflection from Gladys Knight, multiracial choirs and others|website=The Salt Lake Tribune |date=June 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620011827/https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2018/06/02/be-one-celebration-thrills-the-audience-with-stories-of-trailblazing-black-mormons-and-songs-of-rejoicing-and-reflection-from-gladys-knight-multiracial-choirs-and-others/ |archive-date=June 20, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Knight has an honorary doctorate from [[Shaw University]] in [[Raleigh, North Carolina]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Gladys Knight, Alessia Cara, Clark Atlanta choir to perform at All-Star game |url=https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-hawks/gladys-knight-alessia-cara-clark-atlanta-choir-to-perform-at-all-star-game/NZK7J6VNDVAM7CWUX3ATZ5656U/ |website=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |date=February 23, 2021 }}</ref>

Knight's son Jimmy Newman III managed her career through his Newman Management Inc. until his death from heart failure on July 10, 1999, at age 36.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/1999/scene/people-news/james-newman-1117883118/|title=James Newman|author=Variety Staff|date=August 4, 1999 |work=Variety|access-date=December 16, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> Newman was survived by his wife, Michelene; daughters Nastasia and Gabrielle; and sons Rishawn, Stefan, and Sterling. Following his death, her daughter Kenya Jackson took over management.<ref name="LasVegasSun.com"/>

Knight married William McDowell in 2001.<ref name=brn>{{cite news|url=http://www.blueridgenow.com/news/20171025/gladys-knight-brings-friends-to-asheville |title=Gladys Knight brings friends to Asheville |first=Jason |last=Gilmer |website=BlueRidgeNow |date=October 25, 2017 |language=en}}</ref> They have seventeen grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren between them.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.oprah.com/app/master-class.html |title=Oprah's Master Class |access-date=September 24, 2017}}</ref> Knight and McDowell reside in [[Fairview, Buncombe County, North Carolina|Fairview, North Carolina]], near where they own a community center, the former Reynolds High School in Canton attended by McDowell.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2017/03/03/gladys-knight-and-husband-move-forward-canton-center/98495212/ |title=Gladys Knight and husband move forward with Canton center |work=[[Asheville Citizen-Times]] |first=Beth |last=Walton |date=March 3, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2021/02/27/great-smoky-mountains-address-omission-black-people-park-history/4507004001/ |title=Great Smokies starts to unearth stories of Black and enslaved people in park's history |work=Asheville Citizen-Times |first=Karen |last=Chávez  |date=February 27, 2021}}</ref>

Linebacker [[Demetrius Knight]] comes from the same Knight family; he and Gladys are "distant cousins."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Press |first=Michael Marot {{!}} Associated |date=2025-04-23 |title=Shedeur Sanders leads a large contingent of legacy players in this NFL draft class |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/04/23/nfl-draft-shedeur-sanders-legacy-players/ |access-date=2025-04-23 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2017, Knight helped raise $400,000 for the Children's Learning Centers of Fairfield County, in Stamford, Connecticut. The event was held at the Palace Theatre and was co-hosted by [[Carol Anne Riddell]] and [[Alan Kalter]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/Grammy-winner-s-concert-raises-400k-for-11120813.php|title=Grammy winner's concert raises $400k for Stamford nonprofit|work=Stamford Advocate|date=May 4, 2017 |first=Nelson |last=Oliveira}}</ref>

Knight had a gambling addiction that lasted more than a decade. In the late 1980s, after losing $60,000 in one night at the [[Baccarat (card game)|baccarat]] table, she joined [[Gamblers Anonymous]], which helped her quit the habit.<ref name="Lacher"/>