Jan Ashley was born Janice Lynn Glass in Amarillo, Texas, in August 1948 and died in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on October 1, 2015. She was a former Miss Tulsa, an executive secretary, the widow of actor and producer John Ashley, and the second wife of attorney Robert Kardashian Sr. Her marriage to Kardashian lasted about 30 days in late 1998.
Most people search her name because of that short marriage. But her story starts decades earlier in Tulsa, and it includes a long first marriage, a sudden loss, and a headline moment in 2012. Many online pages repeat wrong birth years, wrong ages, and made-up details. This guide sticks to what is documented and flags what is disputed.
Jan Ashley Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
| Full name | Janice Lynn Glass Ashley |
| Known as | Jan Ashley |
| Born | August 1948 (commonly listed as August 3), Amarillo, Texas |
| Raised in | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| School | Will Rogers High School, Tulsa |
| Pageant title | Miss Tulsa 1966 |
| Work | Executive secretary to K. “Boots” Adams at Phillips Petroleum |
| First husband | John Ashley, actor, producer, and singer |
| First marriage | 1978 until his death on October 3, 1997 (about 19 years) |
| Second husband | Robert Kardashian Sr. (1944 to 2003) |
| Wedding date | November 25, 1998, Vail, Colorado |
| Length of marriage | About 30 days |
| How it ended | Annulment, often dated December 25, 1998; some accounts place the legal process into 1999 |
| Reported reasons | Robert’s filing reportedly cited fraud tied to plans for a child; Jan blamed turmoil involving Kris Jenner and the children |
| Children | None reported from either marriage |
| 2012 headline | Claims about Khloé Kardashian’s paternity, disputed by the Kardashian family and never proven |
| Died | October 1, 2015, Tulsa, Oklahoma, age 67 |
| Cause of death | Not publicly disclosed |
| Burial | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California, beside John Ashley |
| Net worth | No reliable public figure exists |
Early Life and Roots of Janice Lynn Glass
Janice Lynn Glass was born in Amarillo, Texas, in August 1948. She grew up mainly in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and graduated from Will Rogers High School. Her obituary is the strongest source for these details.
Some low quality pages give other birth years, such as 1950, 1960, or 1962, and even place her birth in Los Angeles. Those claims have no support. A January 2012 report listed her as 63, which matches a 1948 birth.
Beauty Pageants and Becoming Miss Tulsa 1966
Right after high school, Jan was crowned Miss Tulsa in 1966. It was a regional title, not a national one, but it put her in the local spotlight at a young age. This is the first public milestone tied to her name.
Here is why this detail matters for readers:
- It shows she had an identity long before any Kardashian link.
- It confirms her Oklahoma roots.
- It helps separate her from the many other people named Jan Ashley online.
Professional Career at Phillips Petroleum
Jan did not build a Hollywood career. Her obituary says she worked as executive secretary to Kenneth “Boots” Adams, a leading figure at Phillips Petroleum, the Oklahoma energy company.
That was a serious corporate role. An executive secretary managed schedules, calls, and sensitive paperwork for senior leadership. Some pages call her an entrepreneur or real estate professional, but those labels lack firm sourcing.
First Marriage to Actor and Producer John Ashley
Jan married John Ashley in 1978. Accounts based on her obituary say they met after she returned to Tulsa, and the couple later settled in California.
John Ashley, born December 25, 1934, was a busy entertainment figure:
- He starred in teen films for American International Pictures in the late 1950s and 1960s, including Beach Party era movies.
- He recorded pop singles in the late 1950s.
- He moved into producing, with work in the Philippines in the 1960s and 1970s.
- His later credits include television producing, with reported credits on The A-Team and Apocalypse Now.
John had been married before and had two sons. Jan and John reportedly had no children together.
The Tragic Loss of John Ashley in 1997
John Ashley died on October 3, 1997, at age 62. He suffered a heart attack in New York City while working on a film project. Some sources date his death one day later, but October 3 is the most common record.
The loss ended a marriage of about 19 years. Jan was in her late 40s and had spent most of her adult life beside a working producer. That timing matters, because her next relationship began less than a year later.
Meeting Legal Icon Robert Kardashian Sr.
Robert Kardashian Sr. was born on February 22, 1944, in Los Angeles. He became a well known attorney and businessman, and he sat on O.J. Simpson’s defense team during the 1995 murder trial. He had been divorced from Kris Jenner since 1991 and had four children: Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob.
Jan said they met in early 1998 while she was selling her house. In her telling, Robert toured the property, noticed her photo, and asked one of her late husband’s actors to introduce them. This account comes from her own interviews, so treat it as her version of events.
The November 1998 Wedding in Vail
The couple married on November 25, 1998, in a private ceremony in Vail, Colorado. The date is consistent across most sources.
Some reports say Robert’s children joined the couple during the honeymoon in Vail. Details of the guest list are thin, so this part is less certain than the date and location.
The 30-Day Marriage and Reasons for the Annulment
The marriage did not last a month. Most sources date the annulment to December 25, 1998, while others say the legal process reached into 1999. Either way, it remains one of the shortest marriages tied to the Kardashian family.
Two stories explain the split:
- Robert’s side: Reported court papers cited fraud. Accounts say he claimed they had agreed to have a child, and that he changed his mind after the wedding.
- Jan’s side: She denied wanting children and said that if she had, she would have had them with John. She blamed constant stress around Robert’s family.
Neither version has been independently confirmed in full. That is why careful writers say “reportedly” here.
Family Pressures and the Shadow of Kris Jenner
Jan later said Robert often talked about his first marriage and about Kris Jenner’s alleged affair. In her view, the pressure from his former household and his children wore the new marriage down.
Kris Jenner confirmed an affair during her marriage in her 2011 memoir, Kris Jenner… And All Things Kardashian. That gave Jan’s comments more attention. Still, Jan’s account of Robert’s feelings is secondhand testimony about a man who died in 2003.
Life After the Kardashian Annulment
Robert Kardashian began dating real estate businesswoman Ellen Pierson after the annulment. They married in 2003, and he died of cancer on September 30, 2003, at age 59.
Jan stepped away from public view after the annulment. She did not build a brand around the connection. Accounts based on her obituary say she later moved back to Oklahoma.
Media Resurgence and the 2012 Controversies
Her name returned to the news in January 2012. Jan and Ellen Pierson told Radar Online and Star magazine that Robert had privately questioned whether Khloé was his biological child. Jan said he told her after the wedding that Khloé was not his.
The reaction was immediate:
- Khloé Kardashian hit back on Twitter and called the claims untrue.
- Kris Jenner publicly rejected the rumor, according to ABC News.
- A report from that time said court documents listed Khloé as Robert’s biological daughter. Jan claimed he did that to protect her.
These were allegations, not proven facts. No credible public record shows Robert himself denying Khloé. In 2014, Jan gave a follow up interview to Radar Online, repeating her view of the marriage.
Private Life and Personal Philosophy
Jan lived quietly. She had no known social media footprint, no reality TV career, and no reported children. Her own words suggest she valued privacy and loyalty to John Ashley’s memory.
Be cautious with pages that claim to know her “philosophy” or lifestyle in detail. Her public record is limited to an obituary, a few interviews, and news coverage from 2012.
The Final Years and Passing in 2015
Jan Ashley died on October 1, 2015, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at age 67. Her obituary does not state a cause of death. One public version of the obituary contains an apparent date slip that mentions August 1, so the October 1 date comes from multiple consistent biographical records.
She was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, California, beside John Ashley. That final choice says a lot about which marriage defined her life.
Common Myths and Conflicting Details
Because few reliable sources exist, search results contain errors. Here are the biggest ones:
- “She is still alive”: She is not. Some pages list her age in 2023 as if she were living.
- Wrong birth years: Credible records point to 1948, not 1950, 1960, or 1962.
- Wrong marriage dates: The Kardashian wedding was in 1998, not the early 2000s.
- Invented net worth: No verified figure exists, and pages quoting one rarely show a source.
- “Hollywood actress”: She was a pageant titleholder and executive secretary, not a film actress.
The Legacy of Jan Ashley in Pop Culture History
Jan Ashley sits in the footnotes of Kardashian history. The family became globally famous through reality television after Robert’s death, and the 2016 FX series The People v. O.J. Simpson brought his legal role back into focus. Her short marriage became a trivia point and a tabloid story.
A fairer reading is wider. She was a Tulsa pageant winner, a corporate professional, a producer’s wife for nearly two decades, and a woman who chose privacy after a brief marriage that she never fully controlled in the media.
Conclusion
Jan Ashley was more than a 30-day chapter in the Kardashian story. The reliable record shows a Texas born, Oklahoma raised woman who won Miss Tulsa in 1966, worked at Phillips Petroleum, married John Ashley in 1978, lost him in 1997, and briefly married Robert Kardashian Sr. in 1998.
If you want to share or cite her story, stick to obituary based facts and label the rest as her account. That keeps the biography accurate and respectful.
FAQs
Who was Jan Ashley?
Jan Ashley, born Janice Lynn Glass, was a former Miss Tulsa and executive secretary. She was the widow of producer John Ashley and the second wife of Robert Kardashian Sr.
When did Jan Ashley marry Robert Kardashian Sr.?
They married on November 25, 1998, in a private ceremony in Vail, Colorado.
How long did the marriage between Jan Ashley and Robert Kardashian Sr. last?
The marriage lasted about 30 days before it was annulled, with the end commonly dated to December 25, 1998.
Why did Jan Ashley and Robert Kardashian Sr. annul their marriage?
Reported court papers cited fraud linked to plans for a child, while Jan blamed tension involving Kris Jenner and the children.
Who was Jan Ashley’s first husband?
Her first husband was actor, producer, and singer John Ashley. They married in 1978, and he died on October 3, 1997.
Did Jan Ashley have any biological children?
No. No children have been reported from either her marriage to John Ashley or her marriage to Robert Kardashian Sr.
Is Jan Ashley still alive?
No. She died on October 1, 2015, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at age 67.
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