When asked what it takes to have a successful and long marriage, many couples will say communication, patience, and faith. And for celebrity power couple Earvin "Magic" Johnson and his wife, Cookie, it's no different. The beautiful couple just celebrated 33 years of marriage.
“Ours is an undying love that is hard to describe but is uniquely ours because God is all in it and I love every minute of it,” Cookie Johnson wrote on Instagram.
Mr. Johnson posted his own heartfelt message as well, revealing he knew he would marry Cookie three months after meeting her.
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“I told you and my parents after three months of dating that you were going to be the one I was going to marry,” he wrote. “And by far, marrying you was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
"I thank God every day for blessing me with my wife, best friend, and loving mother of our amazing children all wrapped into one!" he continued. "I’m beyond grateful for your heart of gold, unwavering love for our family, and irreplaceable presence in this world."
"Happy Anniversary baby!" he concluded the caption. The video featured snapshots of the couple together throughout their relationship. Pictures and clips from their wedding day, vacations and evenings dancing were part of the nostalgic montage.
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Their Marriage Had its Rough Spots, What Kept Them Together
They have their share of rough times and they almost divorced at one point.
“We had our ups and downs. We had a period where we were about to separate,” Cookie told Black Doctor. “There was a point where I was home all the time; he was working. Sometimes you start growing apart a little because he’s seeing new adventurous stuff. He’s out in the world. He’s growing. [But] I’m stagnant.”
"I've never felt angry at him, because it wasn't like he knew anything, it wasn't like it happened while we were married," she said calmly. "I was just scared for both of us. And I dealt with it, and still deal with it, spiritually. I've gotten deeper into my religion. I just turned it over to the Lord and put it in His hands and that's how we dealt with it. I'm going to let Him take care of it, and we pray for Earvin's healing and we go on and live our days, from day to day."
“If I had kept going [that way] and the kids left, we would probably be divorced,” the NBA legend added. “Now we’re so connected to each other, but it took that situation to bring us back. I’ve always told Cookie ‘The only thing I wanted was to grow old with you.’ [Now] we just look at each other and say how blessed we are.”
On their 30th, Magic went all out, like he always does. He had a private concert--just the two of them--serenaded by the one and only MAZE featuring Frankie Beverly! Look at some of the footage below:
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Back in 2016, the retired NBA legend-turned-businessman surprised his wife with a beyond lavish yacht party in Monaco to celebrate 25 years of marriage, and to call it spectacular would be an understatement. Magic and Cookie were already in Venice, Italy, celebrating their milestone anniversary, when the former NBA star flew in all of their friends to Monaco without Cookie's knowledge. Magic, 58, also paid for all of the travel expenses.
Celeb guests included Samuel L. Jackson, Steve Harvey, LL Cool J, Smokey Robinson, Tina Knowles, Biz Markie, Bill Bellamy, Holly Robinson Peete, Cedric the Entertainer, Pat Riley, Sugar Ray Leonard, as well as their significant others.
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What Really Happened When Magic Contracted HIV?
One of the roughest patches the couple endured was, of course when Magic announced in 1991 that he had contracted HIV. The announcement shocked the world with the announcement and sportswriters almost immediately began composing his obituary.
"He came walking in the door and I thought he was going to be on TV," Mrs. Johnson said. "I knew something was wrong, really wrong. And when my girlfriend left he sat down and said, 'I've got something to tell you.' And I said, 'What is it?' And he came right out and said it. And I was devastated."
"The scariest part for me was not knowing if I had it," Cookie said at an awards dinner for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
"Then that week I found out I was pregnant, so I didn't know if my baby had it...
back then you had to wait at least 10 days to find out what your results were, so that was traumatic."
Both her and her son, Earvin III, tested negative. His announcement is viewed by some as a turning point in how Americans viewed a virus which some said was only a 'gay disease.'
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“The reason I live today, and the reason I work as hard today, is for my wife and my family," he added. “I knew that she was a special woman when I told her she could leave and she decided to stay with me and support me."
“In my quiet moments is when I cry inside to say, ‘Thank you, God, that I’m here to see my kids, play with my grandkids,” Magic said tearfully.
