Goulet married his first wife, Louise Longmore, with whom he had a daughter, Nicolette, in 1956. They were divorced in 1963, the same year Goulet married stage star Carol Lawrence.
His marriage to Lawrence -- with whom he had sons Christopher and Michael -- has been described as tempestuous. They separated in 1976 and were divorced four years later.
In her 1990 memoir "Carol Lawrence: The Backstage Story," Lawrence described briefly meeting Goulet for the first time backstage after seeing him in "Camelot."
She was initially unimpressed but once they got to know one another, she found him "funny, charming, and loving."
But after they were married, she discovered that "Bobby," as she called him, also had a hair-trigger temper, extreme mood swings and a serious drinking problem.
Of the book, Goulet told the New York Times in 1993: "I've not read it, and I'm not going to read it. . . . She wants to cut me to shreds. She hates me. . . . She was terribly angry because when I left I didn't leave her for another woman. . . . "
As for his drinking, he said: "I never was a run-down-in-the-gutter alcoholic. I never missed a performance." Then he sighed and said, "That's all in the past."
In 1982, Goulet married Vera Novak, a writer and artist who became his business manager and who, he said, helped get his life back in order.
"She's an influence on me, and I love her dearly," he told the Toronto Star in 2005.
Goulet, who underwent surgery for prostate cancer in 1993, began speaking candidly about the disease and the need for annual medical examinations.
In addition to his wife, sons and daughter, Goulet is survived by two grandchildren, Jordan and Solange.
A memorial service is pending.
dennis.mclellan@latimes.com
