Bob Dylan has had a number of notable romantic relationships, including two marriages and several well‑known girlfriends and rumored partners.

Main long-term partners

• Echo Helstrom – his high school girlfriend in Hibbing, Minnesota, often described as his first serious relationship and a likely inspiration for early songs such as “Girl from the North Country.”

• Suze Rotolo – his first major New York romance in the early 1960s; she appears with him on the cover of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan and is widely credited with inspiring several of his early songs.

• Sara Lownds (Sara Dylan) – his first wife; they married in 1965, had several children together, and divorced in 1977, with their relationship often linked to the emotional material on Blood on the Tracks.

• Carolyn Dennis – his second wife, a backing singer he married in 1986; they had a daughter and quietly divorced in 1992.

Other well-known relationships and flings

• Joan Baez – fellow folk singer and one of his most famous partners; they became romantically involved in the early–mid 1960s while also frequently performing together before breaking up around 1965.

• Ruth Tyrangiel – a longtime on‑and‑off partner from the mid‑1970s onward, who largely stayed out of the public eye but is known from later accounts and legal filings.

• Sally Kirkland – actress who has said she had an on‑and‑off romantic involvement with Dylan beginning in the mid‑1970s and reconnecting in later decades.

• Chris O’Dell – music industry insider who has been reported as a brief romantic partner in the mid‑1970s.

Reported later and rumored relationships

• Some reports and fan compilations mention a longtime relationship or possible secret marriage to his assistant Suzie Pullen beginning in the late 1990s, though this has not been publicly confirmed by Dylan himself.

• Various accounts also suggest brief romantic connections with other musicians and public figures over the years, but many of these remain anecdotal and not firmly documented.

Overview table of key partners

Person| Approx. period| Nature of relationship
---|---|---
Echo Helstrom| Late 1950s| High school girlfriend.3
Suze Rotolo| 1961–1964| Early New York partner.34
Joan Baez| Early–mid 1960s| Romantic and musical partner.23
Sara Lownds| 1965–1977| First wife, mother of several children.35
Ruth Tyrangiel| Mid‑1970s onward| Long on‑and‑off relationship.57
Sally Kirkland| Mid‑1970s and later| Intermittent fling.79
Chris O’Dell| Mid‑1970s| Brief romance.57
Carolyn Dennis| 1986–1992| Second wife.57
Suzie Pullen| Late 1990s–reported| Rumored long‑term partner.57

Public information about Dylan’s love life is incomplete, and some relationships are better documented than others, so any list will necessarily be partial and focused on those most widely reported.