Betty Sue Palmer: What Happened To Johnny Depp’s Mother?

Betty Sue Palmer is the mother of John Christopher Depp II popularly known as Johnny Depp. Betty’s son Johnny Depp is an actor, film producer, writer, and musician. He has appeared in films, television series, and video games. In 2012, he was one of the world’s biggest film stars and was listed by the Guinness World Records as the world’s highest-paid actor, with earnings of US$75 million in a year.

Betty Sue Palmer: Bio Summary

Who Is Johnny Depp’s Mother, Betty Sue Palmer?

Betty Sue Wells was born on 1 January 1935, in Glo, Floyd County, Kentucky, USA to Walter Everette Wells and Bessie Irene Whitaker Wells. She is the sister of Jacqueline Wells Sammons, Peggy Jean Wells Conley, and William Paul Wells. Details of her early life and family are few on the internet. She worked as a waitress.

Betty Sue Palmer was married to a man whose last name is “Dale”. There isn’t much information about her then-partner or their marriage but, they had two children. Their children are called Daniel “Danny” Depp and Deborah “Debbie” Depp. Betty Sue divorced her husband and later married civil engineer John Christopher Depp.

John Depp adopted Betty’s two children from her first marriage and gave them his last name “Depp”. John and Betty also gave birth to two children, John Christopher Depp II, best known as “Johnny Depp” and Elisa Christie Depp-Dembrowski. In 1978, Betty Sue and her husband John divorced. Betty later married Robert Palmer.

Betty Sue Palmer’s husband Robert Palmer is said to have spent some time in prison. Betty’s son Johnny Depp mentioned that his song “As Bad As I Am” was an ode to his stepfather Robert. Johnny has said that his stepfather was “an inspiration” to him while he grew up. Johnny told USA Today:

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“So the words of the song was this toast by my stepfather, who made his exit about 15 years ago. He was this really cool guy. He was a bit of a rounder. He spent about half his life in prison, in Statesville Ill. And he had this toast. ‘Here’s to you, as good as you are. Here’s to me, as bad as I am. You’re still as good as you are, as bad as I am.’”

Johnny Depp’s relationship with his mother Betty Sue Palmer

Betty Sue Palmer and her son Johnny Depp were close to each other however, Johnny has spoken about being beaten by his mother during his childhood while his father was mostly absent. He told Rolling Stone, “Yeah, there were irrational beatings. Maybe it’s an ashtray coming your way. Maybe you’re gonna get clunked with the phone.”

Johnny detailed being whipped with a belt and suffering other forms of both physical and psychological abuse at the hands of his mother. Betty Sue would name-call Johnny and her siblings. Not only did Betty Sue Palmer abuse her children but she did the same with her then-husband John Christopher Depp.

“And when Betty Sue, my mother, would go off on a tangent toward my father — and of course, in front of the kids, it [didn’t] matter to her — he, amazingly, remained very stoic and never, as she was rationing him with horrible things, he stood there and just looked at her while she delivered the pain, and he swallowed it. He took it,” Johnny Depp explained.

Johnny Depp said, “there was never a moment when my father lost control and attacked my mother or hit my mother or even said a bad thing to my mother.” John eventually left his family because of Betty’s abusive and suicidal behavior. Despite being abused by his mother, Johnny Depp was able to forgive his mother.

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Johnny Depp went on to get a tattoo of his mother’s name, “Betty Sue,” inside a heart. He bought a 43-acre Kentucky farm for his mother, spending nearly $1 million. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Johnny spoke about his mother’s upbringing. He said: “My mother was raised in a shack, in the wilds of Appalachia, where the toilet was an outhouse.”

“She used to say she did the same things that her mom did — and her mom certainly didn’t know any better. With my kids, they’re told 75 times a day that they’re loved. One thing I know is they feel loved and secure and happy and needed and necessary and a part of something.”

What Happened To Johnny Depp’s Mother?

Johnny Depp’s mother Betty Sue Palmer died on 20 May 2016, at age 81, after a long illness. She died in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA. In 2012, she had reportedly been admitted to the ICU at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Before her death, she was hospitalized for some time.

Johnny said that his children Lily-Rose and Jack Depp accompanied him to see his mother during her final days in the hospital. “I had made peace with Betty Sue because I understood where she came from and I understood how difficult her childhood was,” he said. “I forgave her for all that.”

ALSO, READ: Debbie Depp: Where Is Johnny Depp’s Sister Now?

Per Findagrave, Betty Sue was cremated and a memorial service was held by the family in Los Angeles, California. Johnny reportedly described his mother as the meanest human being he has ever met. He said: “My mom was maybe the meanest human being I have ever met in my life.”