Rockers are notorious for being hard-partying ladies’ men; however, it isn’t always the case, as the godfather of shock rock showcased restraint to one of the most idolized and beautiful Hollywood legends, Raquel Welch. Alice Cooper, who was smitten with one particular woman at the time, rejected Welch’s desires and continued pursuing his now wife of over forty years, Sheryl Goddard.
The two met back in the day during a time when it was popular for movie stars to associate with rock musicians. When the paparazzi captured the two, they were the talk of the town as the possible Hollywood couple. Even though Cooper was flattered that Hollywood’s it girl was interested in him, the shock rocker had already had his eyes set on someone else.
Guitarist Dick Wagner, who had previously worked with Cooper, wrote about Alice’s rejection of Raquel in his memoir, ‘Not Only Women Bleed: Vignettes from the Heart of a Rock Musician.’ Wagner and Cooper were in Miami for the Super Bowl, while Welch performed at the Fontainebleau. They were invited to her suite, and the guitarist sensed that Raquel was interested in Cooper. However, Alice was in a relationship with then one of his dancers, who became his wife, Sheryl, so he remained faithful to her instead of taking up Welch’s offer.
Raquel, who had never been turned down, took Cooper’s rejection to heart, and the more the rocker tried to distance himself from the actress, she became even more persistent. Although most people, including the shock rocker himself, would have been attracted to the bombshell, Cooper had already found the one for him, so Welch’s interest that quickly turned into an obsession didn’t alter his decision.
Alice Cooper’s comments about Raquel Welch’s obsession with him to Classic Rock read:
“People talk about my relationship with Raquel as a boyfriend-girlfriend thing, but it was never consummated. What people forget is that Raquel wasn’t just a movie actress; she was a stage performer. She was like Ann-Margret – she could sing, dance, and tell jokes. She was the full package. And, of course, she was beautiful. She was the Angelina Jolie of her time.”
“When I first met Raquel, it was back when it was trendy for movie stars to go out with rock stars. I was very complimented that she was even interested in me. But the problem was I’d just fallen in love with Sheryl [Goddard, a dancer in the Alice Cooper show, who would eventually become Mrs. Cooper.] Sheryl was this little 90-pound ballerina. She wasn’t a battleship like Raquel. But I was smitten. When you’re in love, you’re in love. The more I tried to move away from Raquel, the more she pursued me. Nobody ever said no to Raquel, but I just wasn’t interested. I was in love with this other girl.”
He added:
“Of course, I would’ve been all over her any other time. Are you kidding?! Raquel was the greatest sex-symbol bombshell on the planet. But I was in love. And that made Raquel a little bit crazy, to the point where she became obsessed. People used to say to me, ‘You had Raquel Welch locked in a bedroom, and you didn’t do anything?’ And I’d go, ‘Nope.’ It was just one of those crazy things.”
In the end, Cooper’s rejection, which seemed absurd to the people around him, was the best decision for the show rocker as he has been with his wife Goddard since the late 1970s, and for couples in the limelight that long of a relationship is a rare feat in Hollywood.
