Shania Twain ‘fell apart’ after devastating call changed her life before big break Mon 19 June 2023 10:59 Eve Edwards

Queen of Country Pop Shania Twain has been vocal about her difficult childhood but her greatest struggles followed the shocking death of her parents.

Shania Twain, 57, is one of the best-selling artists of all time and the best-selling female artist in country music history. Responsible for hits such as That Don’t Impress Me Much and You’re Still The One, Shania was all over the charts throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.

Born in Windsor, Canada on August 28, 1965, Shania has detailed the difficult childhood and adolescence she endured growing up. The singer witnessed violence and abuse whilst growing up which reached a zenith when she was 22, as her parents tragically died in a shocking car crash.

Shania Twain’s parents split when she was an infant

Born to Sharon (née Morrison) and Clarence Edwards, Shania was one of three children. Her birth name is Eilleen Regina Edwards and has two sisters named Jill and Carrie Anne.

When Shania was just two years old, in the late 1960s, her parents split up. Sharon relocated to Timmins, Ontario with her daughters. She later married Jerry Twain, Shania’s stepfather. Jerry would legally adopt Sharon’s daughters, changing their surname from Edwards to Twain.

Jerry is an Ojibwa from the Mattagami First Nation. This has led to some reports incorrectly stating that Shania is of Ojibwe descent. She often refers to Jerry Twain as her father, not stepfather, as he is the one who raised her. It has been reported that Clarence Edwards last saw Shania when she was just 15 years old.

What happened to Jerry and Sharon?

Jerry and Sharon Twain remained married for many years and even welcomed a son, Mark, together. They also adopted Jerry’s nephew, Darryl, after the death of his mother. But their lives were cut short in a tragic car accident which claimed their lives nearly two decades after they struck up a relationship.

On November 1, 1987, when Shania was just 22, Jerry and Sharon got into an accident which resulted in their death. She was living in Toronto at the time and training to be a computer programmer. Her younger sister called her to relay the tragic news.

Three of Shania’s four siblings (Jill, Carrie Anne, Darryl, Mark) were minors at the time of their parents’ death. As such, Shania decided to move back home to Timmins to take care of them.

Shania Twain ‘fell apart’ after parents shocking death

Despite the difficulties Shania and her siblings faced while living with Jerry and Sharon, their untimely passing upended the family.

“I just, you know, I fell apart totally, just into shock for days and I just couldn’t let go of them,” Shania told TODAY’s Hoda Kotb earlier this year.

“As rickety as it was, it was still a foundation,” she continued. “It was still a foundation that I associated with. My whole life history was there, with them, and many of the associations fell along the way, away, after my parents died. It was so true that so much of my life was stemming from them being in my life — the good and the bad.”

In 1993, six years after her parents passed away and when her siblings were no longer minors, Shania Twain released her first album.