Who Is Neil Diamond’s Wife? All About Katie McNeil

Neil Diamond and Katie McNeil have been married for more than a decade

Neil Diamond has been married to wife Katie McNeil since April 21, 2012, but the pair didn’t start out on romantic terms.

The Grammy winner first met his spouse in 2007, when McNeil was working with Diamond’s manager, Irving Azoff. Having grown up listening to hits such as “Holly Holy,” “Sweet Caroline” and “Forever in Blue Jeans,” McNeil convinced her boss to let her work on the singer’s account, and the pair fell in love over the course of a year. “Part of me said, ‘Don’t get involved; he’s a client,’ ” McNeil told Parade in June 2012. “There are a lot of complications for a lot of reasons. But our chemistry grew into something that couldn’t be denied.”

In September 2011, Diamond announced their engagement via Twitter (now X), writing, “Good news coming from sunny LA/ and you’re the first I want to tell/ Katie & I just got engaged/ and I hope you wish us well.” Added Diamond: “I’m lovestruck.”

Since tying the knot, the couple, who celebrated their 10-year anniversary in 2022, have weathered Diamond’s Parkinson’s diagnosis, which he shared with fans in 2018 while announcing his retirement from concert touring. “A calm has moved in, and the hurricane of my life, and things have gotten very quiet,” Diamond told CBS Sunday Morning in March 2023 of life after performing. "And, I like it. I find that I like myself better. I'm easier on people. I'm easier on myself.”

The “America” singer, who was awarded the Songwriter's Hall of Fame Johnny Mercer Award in 2018 for his contributions to music over his decades-long career, also likes being married. “I don’t want to end this whole fabulous journey alone,” he told Parade in 2012. “I want someone by my side who I love and who loves me. I’ve finally found somebody who’s up to the task of being my wife, because I’m very … high maintenance.” He added: “I think I’m probably the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

So who is Neil Diamond’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Katie McNeil and her relationship with the songwriter.

She is a talent manager

In addition to co-managing her husband, McNeil has an impressive résumé that includes work with bands such as Gun ‘N Roses (she invited DJ Ashba to audition), Mötley Crüe, for whom she executive produced Mötley Crüe: Carnival of Sins, Heart, for whom she executive produced Heart: Alive in Seattle, and more.

Diamond initially had no interest in dating her

Prior to falling in love, McNeil and Diamond’s relationship was all business. As the “Sweet Caroline” singer recounted to The Telegraph in December 2012, McNeil lobbied with Azoff to manage his account. “I guess because she loved my music so much or she thought it was a feather in her cap to be in charge of Neil Diamond. I would like to think it was the first one,” he said.

According to Diamond, he initially had no romantic feelings toward the music producer. “I was not particularly interested in Katie, I was interested in my work,” he explained.

After working together for a year, however, Diamond began to see her in another light. “We kind of fell in love, slowly,” he said. "She wove her way into my heart and I think she’s a great person. I realized that I was in love with her.”

She is 29 years younger than Diamond

Diamond and McNeil are nearly 30 years apart, but the years don’t matter to the twosome. “I definitely don’t feel like I’m 71. I feel like I did when I was ­between 30 and 40. The body ages. The mind doesn’t,” Diamond told Parade in 2012.

McNeil, however, was hesitant about their age gap initially, telling the publication, “I’d be on the phone with [my mom] saying, ‘He’s really wonderful — if only he were 30 years younger!’ ” She didn’t feel it once they were a couple, though. “When we’re together, I feel like we’re the same age,” she shared.

She’s a reality star vet

In 2007, McNeil starred on the VH1 series Mission: Man Band, which brought four band members from previously successful groups (Bryan Adams of Color Me Badd, Rich Cronin of LFO, Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees and Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSYNC) together to form a new supergroup called Sureshot.

McNeil served as their manager on the show, despite not being a fan of their genre. “I was not, you know, into the whole boy band thing,” she admitted on the series.

She drove Diamond home in her wedding dress

PEOPLE exclusively confirmed that Diamond and McNeil had tied the knot at the Beverly Hills Hotel in L.A. in April 2012. "It was great to have family there that I haven't seen in years … and to meet the new Irish side of the Diamond family,” the musician shared at the time.

Following the reception, which saw “all hell” breaking loose on the dance floor, as Diamond later tweeted, McNeil told PEOPLE that the pair skipped their scheduled limo. "Instead, I drove us home in my wedding gown, which barely fit in the little sports car — the lace was piled on Neil's lap in the passenger seat," she said.

She executive-produced a TV documentary about her husband

In addition to managing music acts, McNeil has also done behind-the-scenes TV work.

In 2009, she took the reins on her then-boyfriend’s 2009 television documentary, Neil Diamond: Hot August Night/NYC, serving as its executive producer, according to the Los Angeles Times.

She is a stepmom to Neil’s 4 kids

While McNeil and Diamond do not have children together, McNeil is a “proud stepmom” to his four children from his two previous marriages to Jayne Posner (whom he was married to from 1963 to 1967) and Marcia Murphey (whom he was married to from 1969 to 1995): Marjorie and Elyn with Posner, and Jesse and Micah with Murphey.

McNeil previously shared a photo on Twitter in November 2020, writing, “The super talented Jesse Diamond! #proudstepmom (The Diamond men are killing it.)”

They share several pets

Diamond and McNeil are parents to several animals. According to The Telegraph, the couple shared two rescue dogs, Shamrock and Pokey, as well as a cat named Brigitte, as of 2012.

McNeil gave fans a sad update in 2020 when she announced that Shamrock had died. “Our beautiful pup Shamrock 'Shammy' Diamond died in our arms yesterday,” she tweeted at the time. “He loved food, tennis balls and barking at the garbage truck. He will be missed. We love you Shammy.”

She’s an equestrian

According to the West Australian, McNeil is an accomplished equestrian.

Diamond told Express in 2012 that McNeil even bonded with the late Queen Elizabeth II over her love for steeds after the singer was invited to perform at the annual Royal Variety Show.

"We had a nice chat, but she really wanted to chat to my wife about horses,” Diamond said of his interaction with the late monarch, who died in September 2022.

He added: “They did talk, and had a nice conversation. I did chat with Prince Philip for a little bit."

She inspired his 2014 song “Art of Love”

When Diamond recorded 2014’s Melody Road, he had his wife in mind as a muse — particularly when it came to the track “Art of Love,” which he spent five years working on.

“I had a woman I was in love with in the picture,” he told the News Corp Australia Network. “And just being with her and having her around me inspired me to stay with it.”

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