Born in
Shreveport, Louisiana, to a family of
sharecroppers, Richard Williams had childhood experiences with racism. He has been open about his difficult childhood and experiences with racism and has credited his faith as a source of strength throughout each season of his life. He had nine children, including Venus and Serena. Prior to meeting his future wife Oracene Price in the 1970s, Williams moved to
Saginaw, Michigan, then California, and met his first wife Betty Johnson. Johnson and Williams married in 1965 and had five children who were raised alongside Betty's other daughter. They separated in 2017, Williams also has a son from a relationship outside his marriages. He authored two books:
Black and White: The Way I See It, a memoir published in 2014, and
Richard Williams: Tennis and Race in the United States, a study of race and tennis that was published in 2020. He has also been the subject of several documentaries and has been featured in various media outlets. However, in July 2016, Williams suffered a stroke. At the time his third wife, Lakeisha Williams, stated that his condition was stable. In 2022, Williams was reported to have had two strokes. == In popular culture ==