In 2003, the "Oprah Show" audience met a sweet husband and wife with a long history -- and even longer hair. Wendy and Tim White had been married for 12 years and called themselves "the rock 'n' roll hair couple." Tim, a bass guitarist in a struggling rock band, hadn't cut his hair in 17 years; Wendy had been growing hers out for 11.
Though they seemed fond of their looks, Wendy acknowledged that her lengthy hairstyle was aging her. "I'm 39 years old and I think I probably look about 45 to 50," she admitted on "The Oprah Show."
So, with the help of a team of beauty experts, the Whites each went in for a makeover. Wendy received a bouncy blonde bob while Tim got his first cut in well over a decade. On the show, Wendy was first to walk out from behind the curtains and reveal her fresh new look. Watch Wendy and Tim's original "Oprah Show" appearance.
"I feel young and sexy!" she said, flashing a smile as she modeled a fitted Dolce & Gabbana dress.
Tim walked out next, sporting much shorter hair and strutting down the stage in a black Prada suit. He did a proud spin and a quick air guitar for the audience, but stopped in his tracks when he first laid eyes on his wife. His jaw dropped and he went straight to her, where they wrapped each other in a tight embrace.
That was more than a decade ago. When "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" recently reached out to catch up with the Whites, Wendy shared devastating news: In 2008, Tim passed away after suffering a massive heart attack. He was only 48 years old. Since then, Wendy has been trying to cope with his death and says she'll always cherish the memories from their time on "Oprah."
"The experience on 'Oprah' was almost like a wedding day," she says. "We got married in Las Vegas, so it wasn't your big, normal type of wedding. So, this was... probably as close as we would have gotten to a big wedding."
Wendy and Tim planned to renew their vows while wearing their "Oprah Show" makeover outfits on their 20th anniversary, but Tim passed before they could celebrate two decades of marriage. His funeral, Wendy recalls, was a fitting tribute to his life.
"He had a huge, huge funeral. The called it a 'rock star' funeral," she says. "We had him dressed in his Prada suit that he wore on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' and then I also had his leather jacket on top of that."
Wendy says she still struggles with her grief six years after her husband's death. What has helped her cope, however, is something that Tim always loved: music.
"I decided to join Tim's band. The guys in the band were just encouraging me," Wendy says. "Music's actually saved my life."
Wendy, who has since grown her hair out long again, will always hold onto the genuine affection and true love that she and Tim displayed not just privately, but also on television.
"I'm glad that the whole world got to see how we felt about each other," she says. "I wish everybody could express the way they feel about the ones they love like that, in front of the whole world."
"Oprah: Where Are They Now?" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on OWN. Find OWN on your TV.
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