Personal Life
Born in 1952 and raised in Gasdsden, Alabama, Knowles is a 1974 graduate of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he earned both a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. While studying at Fisk he held membership in a number of student and social organizations, among them the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, Eta Beta chapter at UT Chattanooga. He received a Doctor of Humane Letters from Fisk at the University’s 2008 Commencement Ceremony. Knowles holds a professorship at Texas Southern University, where he teaches a course on the entertainment industry in the School of Communications. Knowles is the recipient of the Century Award of Excellence (1911–2011) from the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. He also received the 2011 Living Legends Foundation Award and was named the "2007 International Executive of the Year" by the Greater Houston Partnership. Knowles is an active and longtime voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) and serves on its GRAMMY Board Committee. In 2011, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Gospel Music Association.
Knowles was married to stylist and House of Dereon owner Tina Knowles in 1980. Together, they had two daughters, R&B singers Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, and two grandchildren, Daniel "Julez" Smith and Blue Ivy Carter. On November 11, 2009, Tina Knowles filed for divorce after several reports about Mathew's affair with actress Alexsandra Wright had surfaced. The reports went as far as claiming that Wright was pregnant with Knowles' child. After Wright's son Nixon was born, she requested a paternity test from Knowles, who had admitted to having an affair with her. The paternity test was positive and Knowles was ordered to pay child support to Nixon and Wright. Mathew and Tina Knowles' divorce was final as of December 2011 ending their 31-year marriage.
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