Alice Cooper is a guy who once "died" on stage every night. He’s the Godfather of Shock Rock. He’s a guy who wears more eyeliner than most runway models and has spent decades playing a villainous, leather-clad character that terrified parents in the 70s. But behind the guillotine and the giant snakes, there’s a guy named Vincent Furman who has been married to the same woman since 1976. That’s basically an eternity in Hollywood years.
So, who is Alice Cooper's wife? Her name is Sheryl Goddard.
She wasn't just some fan who met him backstage at a stadium show. Sheryl was a professional ballerina. She was a choreographer. She was—and honestly, still is—a core part of the Alice Cooper stage production. While most rock stars were busy cycling through marriages like they were guitar strings, Alice and Sheryl built something that actually looks like a real, functioning partnership. It’s a bit of a paradox, isn't it? The man who defined "no more Mr. Nice Guy" is actually one of the most devoted husbands in the music industry.
Meeting in the middle of a nightmare
They met in 1975. At the time, Alice was putting together the tour for Welcome to My Nightmare. This wasn't just a concert; it was a theatrical behemoth. He needed dancers who could handle high-level choreography while looking like something out of a horror movie. Sheryl Goddard, then only 18 years old, auditioned.
She got the job.
Imagine that first year. You’re traveling the world with a man who is the biggest provocateur in music. He’s drinking heavily—this was the era of the "Hollywood Vampires" drinking club—and the show is pure chaos. Yet, Sheryl stayed. She didn't just stay for the paycheck; she became the focal point of many of his stage bits. If you’ve ever seen Alice dance with a "cold" ballerina or get tormented by a female figure in his show, there’s a very high chance that was Sheryl.
They got married on March 20, 1976, in Acapulco, Mexico. It was fast. It was rock and roll. But it stuck.
The pact that changed everything
Alice Cooper has been very open about his struggles with alcoholism. By the early 80s, things were bleak. He was "the ghost of Alice Cooper," a man who was physically falling apart. In 1983, Sheryl did something that probably saved his life, even though it was devastating at the time: she filed for divorce.
She didn't do it because she stopped loving him. She did it because she couldn't watch him die.
This is the turning point. Alice went to rehab. He got sober. He realized that losing Sheryl was the only thing more frightening than the monsters he created for the stage. They reconciled shortly after, and he hasn't had a drink since.
Since then, they’ve had a "pact." It’s a bit famous and widely misunderstood. Some tabloids once claimed they had a "death pact," which sounds very gothic and on-brand for Alice. However, Alice later clarified that it’s more of a "life pact." They are so intertwined—spiritually, professionally, and personally—that neither can imagine a world without the other. They've spent nearly 50 years together. In a world where "forever" usually means "until the next tour," that is a statistical anomaly.
Life away from the spotlight
You might think their home life is all cobwebs and black leather. It’s actually the opposite. They live in Phoenix, Arizona. They are devout Christians. They go to church. Alice plays golf every single morning.
Sheryl isn't just "the wife" sitting at home, though. She’s still heavily involved in the Alice Cooper universe. She performs in the show to this day. When you see Alice on tour now, Sheryl is often playing the role of the "insane nurse" or the "undead bride." It’s their version of a date night. They get to travel the world, put on makeup, and perform for thousands of people, then go back to the hotel and watch TV.
They have three children:
- Calico Cooper: An actress and singer who followed her parents into the family business, often performing on stage with her dad.
- Dash Cooper: Who fronts his own rock band called CO-OP.
- Sonora Cooper: Who generally stays further out of the limelight than her siblings.
The Cooper household wasn't a den of iniquity. By all accounts, it was a pretty stable environment. Alice has often joked that his kids grew up thinking it was normal for a dad to come home, take off his makeup, and put his severed head in the closet.
Why it actually works
Why do they work when so many other celebrity couples fail?
🔗 Read more: How Old Was Maureen O'Hara? The Real Timeline of the Queen of Technicolor
- Shared Work: They don't have "separate lives." By having Sheryl in the show, they avoid the "touring widow" syndrome that kills most rock marriages.
- No Competition: Sheryl was an artist in her own right before Alice, but she never seemed interested in competing for his spotlight. She found a way to enhance his art while maintaining her own identity as a dancer and mother.
- Mutual Respect: Alice speaks about Sheryl with a level of reverence that is rare. He doesn't call her "the old lady." He treats her as his equal and his savior.
- Humor: You can't dress up like a dead person for 50 years without a sense of humor.
Sheryl Goddard is the reason there is still an Alice Cooper. Without her intervention in the 80s, the music world would have likely lost him to the same fate as Jim Morrison or Jimi Hendrix. Instead, we have a legend who is still touring in his late 70s, looking healthier than guys half his age.
The reality of "Who is Alice Cooper's wife?"
If you’re looking for drama, you won't find much here after 1983. Their story is one of consistency. It’s about a ballerina from a "good family" who fell for a guy who pretended to be a villain, and then she helped him find the man underneath the mask.
Sheryl is a private person despite her stage presence. She doesn't do the reality TV circuit. She doesn't sell "tell-all" books. She just does the work. She’s the choreographer for the Alice Cooper show, she’s a mother, and she’s the person who keeps the rock star grounded.
It’s almost funny. The scariest man in rock and roll has the most boringly successful marriage in the business. And that’s probably exactly how they like it.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Researchers
To truly understand the dynamic of this legendary couple, look beyond the headlines. If you want to see their chemistry, watch concert footage from the Brutal Planet or Eyes of Alice Cooper tours—Sheryl’s stage presence is undeniable.
If you are researching the history of rock and roll marriages, the Cooper-Goddard union serves as the primary case study for "The Working Partnership Model." Their success isn't accidental; it’s the result of a deliberate choice to integrate their professional and personal lives.
📖 Related: The Dana Plato Howard Stern Interview: What Really Happened That Morning
For those interested in the philanthropic side of their lives, Sheryl is heavily involved in Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers. This non-profit provides free music, dance, and art lessons to teenagers in Phoenix. If you want to support their legacy, that is the most direct way to do so. It’s where Sheryl’s background in dance and Alice’s love for music merge to help the next generation of artists.