Jan Ashley is best remembered as the former wife of Robert Kardashian Sr., the lawyer and businessman who was the father of Kourtney, Kim, Khloé and Rob Kardashian. However, her connection to the Kardashian family represents only a small part of her life.
Born Janice Lynn Glass, Ashley grew up mainly in Oklahoma, became a local beauty-pageant winner and worked in business before moving to California. She was also married for many years to actor and producer John Ashley before briefly marrying Robert Kardashian.
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Who Was Jan Ashley?
Jan Ashley was an American woman whose full name was Janice Lynn Glass Ashley. According to her family obituary, she was born in Amarillo, Texas, in August 1948 and moved with her family to Tulsa, Oklahoma, when she was seven years old.
She attended Will Rogers High School in Tulsa. In 1966, she was crowned Miss Tulsa, giving her local recognition years before her later connections to Hollywood.
Ashley did not build a career as an actress or reality television personality. Her obituary records that she worked as an executive secretary to Kenneth “Boots” Adams of Phillips Petroleum.
Jan Ashley’s Early Life and Background
Much of Jan Ashley’s early life remained private. Her obituary identifies her parents as James Douglas Glass and Monnie M. Glass and records that she had a brother, Jerry D. Glass.
There is a small difference in the published information about her exact birthday. The main funeral-home record lists August 3, 1948, while the obituary text itself says August 1. For that reason, it is safest to say that she was born in August 1948 rather than treating one date as completely certain.
After finishing school and winning the Miss Tulsa title, Ashley worked in Oklahoma before eventually entering a very different world through marriage.
Jan Ashley Information Table
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Janice Lynn Glass Ashley |
| Known as | Jan Ashley |
| Born | August 1948 |
| Birthplace | Amarillo, Texas |
| Raised in | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Education | Will Rogers High School |
| Pageant title | Miss Tulsa 1966 |
| Early career | Executive secretary |
| First husband | John Ashley |
| Second husband | Robert Kardashian Sr. |
| Marriage to Robert Kardashian | 1998 |
| Death | October 1, 2015 |
| Age at death | 67 |
Jan Ashley and John Ashley’s Marriage
Before becoming connected to Robert Kardashian, Jan Ashley was married to actor and producer John Ashley.
Her obituary states that the couple married in 1978 after Jan had returned to Tulsa. They then moved to California, where John’s entertainment career was based.
John Ashley had worked as an actor before becoming heavily involved in film and television production. Jan’s marriage to him lasted far longer than her later marriage to Robert Kardashian.
John died in New York City in 1997 while working on a production. Jan was therefore widowed after nearly two decades of marriage.
Did Jan Ashley Have Children?
There is no well-established public record showing that Jan Ashley had biological children.
Her obituary names her brother and nephews among her surviving relatives but does not identify any children of her own. Claims online about children should therefore be treated carefully unless supported by stronger documentation.
Jan Ashley and Robert Kardashian Sr.
Jan Ashley later became the second wife of Robert Kardashian Sr., whose first marriage to Kris Jenner had produced four children.
Ashley and Kardashian married in 1998. The relationship was extremely short, and the marriage was eventually annulled. A later account of Robert Kardashian’s relationships confirms that his marriage to Jan Ashley ended in annulment before he eventually married Ellen Pierson in 2003.
The exact private circumstances surrounding the failed marriage have been described differently over the years. Because many of those details come from later interviews and tabloid reports, they should not all be treated as established fact.
Robert Kardashian already had Kourtney, Kim, Khloé and Rob from his marriage to Kris Jenner. Ashley did not have a long-term parental role in their lives because her marriage to Robert ended so quickly.
Jan Ashley and the Khloé Kardashian Controversy
Jan Ashley returned to public attention in January 2012 after making controversial statements about Khloé Kardashian’s paternity.
Ashley claimed that Robert Kardashian had told her Khloé was not his biological daughter. Ellen Kardashian, Robert’s later wife, made similar allegations at the time. CBS Los Angeles reported the dispute and Khloé’s angry public response.
These allegations have not been established as fact and should not be presented as proof about Khloé Kardashian’s biological parentage.
In fact, reports about legal documents from Robert and Jan’s annulment said Robert referred to already having “four biological children,” which conflicts with the later claims attributed to Ashley.
The controversy became one of the main reasons people began searching for Jan Ashley again many years after her marriage to Robert had ended.
Jan Ashley’s Later Years and Death
After her brief connection to the Kardashian family, Ashley largely stayed away from public life.
Her family obituary states that she returned to Oklahoma in 2012 after living in California. She died on October 1, 2015, at the age of 67.
Her cause of death was not provided in the public obituary, so claims assigning her a specific illness or medical condition should not be treated as verified.
According to the Floral Haven Funeral Home obituary, Ashley was to be interred beside John Ashley at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in California.
Her burial beside her first husband reflects the much longer chapter of her life she shared with John compared with her brief marriage to Robert Kardashian.
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Interesting Facts About Jan Ashley
- Jan Ashley’s birth name was Janice Lynn Glass.
- She moved from Amarillo to Tulsa when she was about seven years old.
- She attended Will Rogers High School in Tulsa.
- She became Miss Tulsa in 1966.
- She worked as an executive secretary before moving to California.
- She married actor and producer John Ashley in 1978.
- Their marriage lasted until John’s death in 1997.
- Jan married Robert Kardashian Sr. in 1998, but their marriage was soon annulled.
- She returned to Oklahoma in 2012.
- Jan Ashley died on October 1, 2015, at age 67.
- Her publicly available obituary does not state a cause of death.
