Joe Namath’s wife, now former, Deborah Mays, 64, had quite the ride with the football legend. It all started in the early ’80s when Deborah was taking voice lessons with vocal coach, Arthur Joseph. Joe, after his football days, was getting into acting and decided to join the same class to polish up his speaking skills. It just so happened that Deborah had once joked about wanting to marry a football player, and when Joe walked in, Arthur thought it would be fun to introduce them.
Despite the 19-year age gap, the connection was instant. By 1984, they were married, with Deborah being 22 at the time, and Joe, who was 41 at the time, already a legendary name in football. Their relationship led to two daughters, Jessica, 40, and Olivia, 35, and for a while, it seemed like they had it all.
Behind the scenes, though, things were far from perfect. Joe’s struggle with alcohol became a major hurdle in their marriage, but Deborah didn’t just sit back—she stepped up, giving him the ultimatum that would help him get sober for a time. But even though Joe worked through his addiction, their marriage didn’t survive the long haul. By 1999, Deborah had fallen for a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Brian Novack and the once golden couple parted ways, finalizing their divorce in 2000.
After the split, Joe focused on raising their daughters, while Deborah, who had legally changed her name to May Tatiana in 1993, faded out of the public eye.
These days, people are curious: is Deborah still alive? What’s she been up to since the divorce? This article dives into her life post-Namath, answering those questions, and exploring her background, from her early days to her current whereabouts.
What’s She Doing Today?
As of today, Deborah is living a much quieter life out in Los Angeles, California. She’s enjoying the single life after splitting from Brian Novack over a decade ago. It’s clear she’s moved on from her high-profile days with Joe and is keeping things pretty low-key.
When it comes to social media, she’s not exactly posting updates or living that influencer life. In fact, she’s pretty much stayed off the grid, which might explain why people still wonder if she’s alive and well. She’s definitely alive and by all accounts doing just fine. While her life now may be a bit of a mystery, it looks like Tatiana is enjoying her privacy and the calm after all the public attention she once had.
Her Parents Were Well Off
Deborah Mays didn’t exactly come from humble beginnings—she grew up in a pretty prosperous family. Born in Pennsylvania on March 6th, 1962, she is the daughter of Bud and Shirley Mays.
Her dad was a partner in a successful toner manufacturing business, which meant the family lived comfortably in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, a small but wealthy town. Deborah has two siblings, a brother and a sister.
As a kid, she had dreams of becoming an equestrian. She spent a lot of her time around horses, since her childhood home was close to stables in a nearby estate, and her interest in riding developed from there.
Things shifted for her family when her dad decided to sell his stake in the business. In 1977, the Mays family packed up and moved to North Carolina for a fresh start.
Deborah then enrolled at Northeastern High School in Elizabeth City. When it came to education, she wasn’t just coasting through school—she was actually really bright.
Being the bright student she was, she breezed through high school quicker than usual. After that, she went to Sweet Briar College in Virginia, but the pull of acting was stronger than her college studies. She dropped out after a year and made her way to Los Angeles, determined to become an actress.
Her Brother Got Lost In 1980 and To This Day She and Her Family are Looking for Him
Deborah’s family has been through a heartbreaking ordeal ever since her brother, Jeffrey Mays, went missing back in 1980. Jeffrey, who was just 21 years old at the time, and his friend Ted Wall set out for a fishing trip off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, in what was described as an “unsinkable” boat named Sea Ox. But tragically, the boat, along with Jeffrey and Ted, disappeared into the Atlantic, and to this day, neither the boat nor the boys have been found. Despite the U.S. Coast Guard searching over 211,000 square miles of ocean, their bodies were never recovered, leaving the Mays family in a perpetual state of waiting and hoping.
Fast forward to 2023, and it’s clear the pain of Jeffrey’s disappearance still lingers. Tatiana’s daughter, Jessica, took to Facebook to share a post revealing that her grandmother, Shirley, is still holding out hope, continuing the search for her son all these years later. In that post, Jessica also shared that the entire family—including Deborah, her sister, and their parents—submitted DNA reports, trying to get some kind of closure, but unfortunately, nothing has come from it.
To this day, Jeffrey remains missing, and his family continues to live with the weight of that uncertainty.
She is a Multi-Millionaire Thanks To The Divorce Settlement
Tatiana didn’t just walk away from her marriage to Joe with memories—she also walked away with quite a bit of cash. Their high-profile divorce in 2000 ended after nearly 16 years of marriage, and while the details of their settlement weren’t plastered all over the news, it’s safe to say Deborah made out well. One of the biggest clues to her financial standing post-divorce was her Pacific Palisades home, which she listed for a whopping $6.9 million in 2008.
That home, nestled in one of the most exclusive neighborhoods of Los Angeles, was just one part of the comfortable life she built after splitting from Joe.
Her Ex-Husband Brian Was Caught in a Beverly Hills Tragedy
Her ex-husband, Dr. Brian Novack, found himself at the center of a shocking Beverly Hills tragedy in 2014. As per The Telegraph, Sandra D’Auriol, a successful British jewelry designer, tragically died after leaping from a 15-story building following a facelift surgery performed by Novack. Sandra, who was known for her calm and positive nature, reportedly experienced a post-operative psychotic episode, which led to her fatal jump just a day after the procedure.
Novack, who has a long list of high-profile clients, including Hollywood stars, was left devastated by the incident. His reputation, already well-established in elite circles, took a hit as questions were raised about the procedures and care leading up to Sandra’s death.
