Who was Isaac Hayes married to? All about his wife and kids as singer's family threatens to sue Donald Trump

The family of Isaac Hayes has recently filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump for playing the late soul singer's single Hold on, I'm Coming at his campaign rallies without their permission. The artist's son Isaac Hayes III also shared the details of the lawsuit through X (formerly Twitter), which revealed that it was filed on August 11, 2024.

Isaac became the father of 11 children from four marriages. At the time of his passing in 2008, he was married to Adjowa Hayes. They got married in 2005. Isaac was found unresponsive at his residence.

Attorney James L. Walker, Jr., who represents Hayes' family, has issued a Notice of Copyright Infringement, telling the campaign to release a statement that should mention that the use of anything owned by the Isaac Hayes Enterprises is not allowed yet by the Hayes Estate for now or in the future.

The legal documents posted by Isaac's son on social media say that Trump's campaign should immediately discontinue the unauthorized use of the song and remove any reference that the single linked to Trump or his campaign in some way. It also stated:

"Pay to our client via our offices a certified check or wire collectively in a license fee amount not less than Three Million Dollars ($3,000,000,00), from the parties named herein, which is a very discounted fee for the normal license fee associated with this many multiple uses."

The documents included a warning for Trump and his campaign, stating that if they continued using the song, Isaac Hayes' family would be forced to "seek disgorgement of all profits earned from the unauthorized use." The family plans to sue Trump if he does not comply by August 16.

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Isaac Hayes had 11 children and four marriages: Relationship history and other details explained

Isaac Hayes first tied the knot with Dancy Hayes in 1960. However, the date and year of their divorce have not been officially disclosed anywhere. His next marriage was to Emily Ruth Watson from 1965 to 1972. Three of Isaac's children, Vincent, Melanie, and Nicole, were born from this marriage.

Isaac became the father of two more kids from his third marriage to Mignon Harley between 1973 and 1986. His fourth wife, Adjowa, gave birth to a son named Nana Kwadjo Hayes.

His son Isaac Hayes III has followed in his father's footsteps and established himself in the music industry as a record producer. Detailed information about the careers of the rest of the kids remains unknown for now except for their identities. They include Jackie, Veronica, Felicia, Melanie, Nikki, Lili, Darius, Vincent, Heather, and Nana.

While 10 of his children have maintained a distance from the spotlight, Melanie recalled when her father won an Oscar in 1972 as she spoke to The Hollywood Reporter in 2016. She said:

"I'm as proud of my father today as I was the very first time I saw him perform."

Melanie's sister Heather also recalled a picture of Isaac posing alongside his grandmother Rushia Wade with an Oscar in his hand, saying that he had a wish to take Wade to the Academy Awards, and this brought a big change in his life.

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Isaac Hayes III speaks up on the reason behind suing Donald Trump

As mentioned, Isaac Hayes' family has sued Donald Trump and his campaign for unauthorized use of his song. While Isaac's son has already posted the details of the lawsuit on social media, he shared a separate statement with The Hollywood Reporter, revealing the reasons behind filing a lawsuit.

The single, Hold On, I'm Coming, has been used by Trump for around two years. The song was played during the National Rifle Association rally, resulting from the shooting incident at the Uvalde school. Isaac's son stated that he was surprised why the song was being used at an NRA convention and added:

"I wanted to take legal action because Trump has made statements against women, and here is a man who has been convicted of s*xual abuse. I'm a brother to seven sisters, and I don't want anybody to think of 'Hold On' and think of Donald Trump."

Similar accusations have been made against Trump and his campaign in the past for using songs without an artist's permission. Isaac's family attorney, James L. Walker, also addressed the issue in a statement that read:

"Most of these artists just don't want to take time or any of the smaller artists don't have the money resources. And to know how Mr. Hayes is in that rare category where he understands copyright, he understands how you protect yourself, how you protect your publishing."

Meanwhile, an official response is currently awaited from Trump's team regarding the lawsuit.