Months after his wife’s death, actor and country singer John Schneider made his first Hollywood appearance, where he spoke emotionally about widowhood. The “Dukes of Hazzard” star, whose Christian film credits include 2012’s “October Baby,” revealed he has been working on a new album about his wife, titled “We Are Still Us.”
As ChurchLeaders reported, Schneider’s wife, Alicia Allain, died in February at age 53. She was diagnosed with breast cancer several years ago and had been told she had about five years to live. The couple, who married in 2019, collaborated on songs and films through Louisiana-based John Schneider Studios.
John Schneider’s New Album Will ‘Be Healing’
Last week, John Schneider, 63, appeared at a musical performance by Dee Dee Sorvino, widow of actor Paul Sorvino. Speaking to The Daily Mail at the event, an emotional Schneider described his upcoming album as “the best thing I’ve ever done.” Although the music “hurt so bad” to write and sing, he said, “the final product is going to be healing for those who are [grieving], of which, statistically speaking, two people get married, one of them is going to die first.”
Schneider added, “We all think that cancer and losing your spouse are things that happen to other people. No, these are things that can happen to you—in my case, way too soon.” The musician and actor said he plans to do “remarkable, great things because of this [loss], not in spite of it.”
Every day on social media, Schneider posts a “letter to heaven” addressed to Allain, whom he nicknamed “Smile.” Since her death, he has discovered “there’s a huge demographic of people who’ve lost a spouse out there, and people are afraid to talk about it,” he said. “So we really have no support system.”
Although Schneider never dreamed he’d be a widower at this point in his life, he said he’s determined to serve as “a well-educated support system for people who lost the loves of their lives.”
John Schneider: ‘It’s OK To Love Someone That Much’
Fighting back tears, Schneider told The Daily Mail, “People need to know it’s OK to love someone that much. In fact, it is how you should feel about your spouse.” To anyone who questions whether their spouse feels that way, Schneider advised, “Well, maybe they do and you’re just too busy in life to realize it.” He added, “If I can help one couple out there realize that they are perfect, then this will not have been in vain.”
