Darlene Love reveals three-year secret affair with Bill Medley

At 85 years old, Darlene Love is opening a long-private chapter of her life. In the documentary Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been, which premiered in Toronto, she recounts a three-year relationship she claims to have had with Bill Medley, a member of the Righteous Brothers, in the late 1960s.

The two artists met while working on the musical show Shindig!, before embarking on a tour together. Darlene Love and her group, the Blossoms, provided backing vocals for the Righteous Brothers and opened for them. According to the singer, both she and Bill Medley were divorced when their relationship began.

Darlene Love explains that they kept their romance discreet, particularly under pressure from agents and managers who were opposed to their interracial relationship. She states that they also avoided public exposure during their travels in the southern United States and even considered marriage.

The relationship ended when the singer became pregnant. In her account, she says she chose to terminate the pregnancy, while Bill Medley wanted to keep the child. Already a mother of two boys, she asserts that she made this decision with her family’s situation in mind. She then discusses a period of depression from which she claims to have emerged by relying on her faith.

These details are based on Darlene Love’s testimony in the documentary. Entertainment Weekly reported that it reached out to Bill Medley but did not receive an immediate response.

Directed by Barry Avrich and produced in part by Taraji P. Henson, Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been premiered on September 13, 2026, in Toronto. Its screening at the festival continues until September 17.