The Story of Charles Donald Fegert, Barbara Eden’s Second Husband

Charles Donald Fegert was an American advertising executive and salesman from Chicago. He built a successful career in the newspaper business and became a respected marketing figure before entering the public spotlight.

He became widely known after marrying actress Barbara Eden, the star of I Dream of Jeannie. Their relationship attracted attention because Fegert was a successful businessman while Eden was already a famous Hollywood actress.

This article explores Charles Donald Fegert’s early background, advertising career, relationship with Barbara Eden, their 1977 wedding, difficult marriage and divorce. It also covers his later years, death, and lasting public interest.

Profile Summary

Early Life in Chicago

Charles Donald Fegert was born on November 8, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois. He was the son of Charles “Moon” Fegert and Virginia A. Henold Coppinger. Chicago remained an important part of his personal and professional story.

He grew up with a younger brother named Craig Lewis Fegert. Craig died in June 1980 when he was only 24 years old. This loss happened while Charles was married to Barbara Eden.

Fegert spent much of his adult life connected to Chicago. Rather than building a career in entertainment, he entered sales and advertising. His professional success eventually gave him an important position within the city’s newspaper industry.

From Salesman to Advertising Executive

Fegert began his professional journey as a salesman. Sales required confidence, communication skills, and the ability to build relationships. These qualities helped him move forward and take on greater responsibilities during his career.

He eventually entered the newspaper advertising business. Fegert worked with the Chicago Daily News and became closely connected with Chicago’s competitive media industry. His career continued to grow as his experience increased.

His biggest professional achievement was becoming vice president of marketing and advertising at the Chicago Sun-Times. The senior position made him an influential advertising executive and showed how far he had progressed from his early sales work.

His Personality and Professional Success

Charles Fegert developed a strong reputation as a salesman. He was intelligent, confident, persistent, and capable of winning people over. These qualities were valuable in the demanding world of newspaper advertising and marketing.

His persistence also became important in his relationship with Barbara Eden. Eden did not immediately feel attracted to him when they first met. His personality initially came across to her as rude and aggressive.

Fegert continued showing interest by calling her and sending flowers. Over time, Eden became more comfortable with him. The same persistence that helped him professionally played an important role in the beginning of their relationship.

How Charles Fegert Met Barbara Eden

Charles Fegert met Barbara Eden in Chicago during the mid-1970s. Eden had recently gone through her divorce from actor Michael Ansara, her first husband. She was experiencing a difficult and emotional period in her personal life.

Their first meeting did not immediately lead to romance. Eden initially disliked Fegert’s personality and found his behavior aggressive. Fegert, however, remained interested and continued trying to develop a connection with her.

He regularly called Eden and sent her flowers. His attention gradually changed her first impression. What began as an uncertain connection eventually became a serious romantic relationship that led the couple toward marriage.

Who Is Barbara Eden?

Barbara Eden is an American actress and singer who became a major television star. She is especially remembered for playing Jeannie in the classic fantasy sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.

Her entertainment career made her a familiar face to television audiences. She also appeared in films such as The Brass Bottle and Flaming Star. By the time she met Fegert, she had already experienced major professional success.

Her fame naturally brought greater attention to Charles Fegert. Although he had an established career of his own, his marriage to Eden introduced him to a much wider audience outside Chicago’s business community.

Charles Fegert and Barbara Eden’s Wedding

After developing their relationship, Charles Fegert and Barbara Eden decided to marry. They tied the knot on September 3, 1977, in Long Grove, Chicago. Fegert became Eden’s second husband.

Their marriage joined two very different professional worlds. Eden had spent years working in Hollywood, while Fegert had established himself in Chicago’s newspaper and advertising business. Their relationship therefore attracted considerable public curiosity.

Eden made an important lifestyle change following the marriage. She relocated from Los Angeles to Chicago to live with Fegert. The move showed how seriously she approached their relationship and new life together.

Barbara Eden’s Move to Chicago

Moving to Chicago represented a major transition for Barbara Eden. Los Angeles had been closely connected with her acting career, while Chicago was the center of Charles Fegert’s professional and personal life.

The move also came during an emotional time for Eden. Before relocating, she had lost custody of her son, Matthew Ansara, to her former husband Michael Ansara. She struggled emotionally with being separated from her son.

Eden later described this period as one in which she cried frequently. Her new marriage therefore began while she was dealing with significant personal changes involving her family, career environment, and everyday life.

Inside Their Five-Year Marriage

The early part of Charles Fegert and Barbara Eden’s relationship had been exciting. Fegert was handsome, intelligent, successful, and initially enjoyable company. Their marriage, however, eventually became very different from the relationship Eden first experienced.

According to Eden’s account, Fegert began spending time with people who drank heavily and used cocaine. His lifestyle and behavior changed, creating serious difficulties inside their marriage.

Eden also described Fegert as insecure despite his professional abilities. As their problems became more serious, the relationship that had started with flowers, persistent phone calls, and romance developed into an unhappy and increasingly difficult marriage.

Why Barbara Eden Divorced Charles Fegert

Barbara Eden eventually decided that she could no longer remain in the marriage. She said Fegert began treating her horribly and became abusive. His behavior caused their relationship to deteriorate significantly.

Eden connected the problems partly with the social environment surrounding Fegert. She explained that he began spending time with a crowd involved with drinking and cocaine. This period created an increasingly unhealthy situation within their marriage.

Rather than continuing in those circumstances, Eden chose to leave. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1982 after approximately five years together, closing one of the more difficult chapters of Eden’s personal life.

Life After the Divorce

Following the 1982 divorce, Charles Fegert gradually disappeared from the wider celebrity spotlight. Much of the attention surrounding him had developed because of his relationship and marriage to Barbara Eden.

He returned to a much quieter existence away from Hollywood publicity. His later years did not receive the same level of media attention that surrounded his marriage during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Fegert remained strongly associated with Chicago. His public story is therefore largely remembered through two major parts of his life: his successful newspaper advertising career and his five-year marriage to one of television’s most recognizable actresses.

Barbara Eden’s Life After Charles Fegert

Barbara Eden eventually found another long-term relationship. She married architect and real estate developer Jon Eicholtz in January 1991. He became her third husband after her marriages to Michael Ansara and Charles Fegert.

Eden and Eicholtz developed a much longer marriage. Eden has explained that enjoying each other’s company is an important part of maintaining their relationship, even when two people do not share exactly the same interests.

She continued remaining active professionally as she grew older. Rather than completely stepping away from entertainment, Eden maintained the view that she would continue doing what she enjoyed for as long as she was able.

Charles Fegert’s Death

Charles Donald Fegert died on September 25, 2002, in Chicago, Illinois. He was 71 years old at the time of his death. His passing came about two decades after his divorce from Barbara Eden.

A specific cause of death was not disclosed. By that stage of his life, Fegert had been away from the celebrity spotlight for many years and was living much more privately.

His death closed the story of a businessman who experienced success in Chicago’s advertising industry before unexpectedly becoming connected with Hollywood. His relationship with Eden remains the part of his personal life that attracts the greatest public interest.

Barbara Eden’s Three Marriages

Charles Fegert was the second of Barbara Eden’s three husbands. Her first husband was actor Michael Ansara. The pair met on a blind date in 1957 and married in January 1958.

Eden and Ansara welcomed their son, Matthew Ansara, in August 1965. Their marriage lasted around 16 years before ending in divorce in 1974. Matthew later died in June 2001 at age 35 from accidental drug intoxication.

Eden married Fegert in 1977 and divorced him in 1982. Nearly nine years later, she married Jon Eicholtz in January 1991. Her third marriage became a lasting partnership that continued for decades.

Where Barbara Eden Is Today

Barbara Eden continued living an active life many decades after I Dream of Jeannie made her famous. Even in her 90s, she maintained a positive outlook and did not view retirement as something she needed to pursue.

She has continued making occasional public appearances while enjoying her personal life with Jon Eicholtz. The couple lives in the Benedict Canyon area of Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, along with their dog, Bentley.

Eden lives in a home she purchased in 1977, the same year she married Charles Fegert. Her long life and career have kept public interest in the people and relationships connected with her personal history.

Charles Fegert’s Lasting Public Interest

Charles Donald Fegert never built his reputation through acting or entertainment. Before becoming associated with Barbara Eden, he had already developed a successful professional identity within Chicago’s newspaper advertising industry.

His marriage placed him in a very different kind of spotlight. Photographs of Fegert and Eden together captured a period when the advertising executive became connected with one of American television’s best-known actresses.

Today, curiosity about him remains largely tied to that relationship. However, his professional journey from salesman to senior advertising executive also forms an important part of his individual story.

Final Thoughts

Charles Donald Fegert lived a life that combined business success with an unexpected connection to Hollywood fame. Starting as a salesman, he worked his way into senior advertising leadership within Chicago’s newspaper industry.

His 1977 marriage to Barbara Eden brought national attention, but their relationship became troubled and ended in divorce five years later. Fegert subsequently returned to a much more private lifestyle.

He died in Chicago in 2002 at the age of 71. Although remembered mainly as Barbara Eden’s second husband, his story also reflects a successful advertising career and a complicated chapter in Eden’s personal history.

(FAQs)

Who was Charles Donald Fegert?

Charles Donald Fegert was an American salesman and advertising executive from Chicago. He became vice president of marketing and advertising at the Chicago Sun-Times and became widely known as actress Barbara Eden’s second husband.

When did Charles Fegert marry Barbara Eden?

Charles Fegert married Barbara Eden on September 3, 1977, in Long Grove, Chicago. Their relationship began after meeting in Chicago during the mid-1970s, and their marriage lasted approximately five years before ending in 1982.

Why did Barbara Eden divorce Charles Fegert?

Barbara Eden said their marriage became difficult after Fegert began spending time with a crowd involved with heavy drinking and cocaine. She also described his behavior as abusive, which eventually led her to leave the marriage.

When did Charles Donald Fegert die?

Charles Donald Fegert died on September 25, 2002, in Chicago, Illinois. He was 71 years old at the time of his death. A specific cause of his death was not disclosed.

What did Charles Donald Fegert do for a living?

Charles Fegert began his professional career as a salesman before moving into newspaper advertising. He worked for the Chicago Daily News and later became vice president of marketing and advertising at the Chicago Sun-Times.

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