Simone Rethel (born 1949 in Germany) is a German actress, painter and photographer. She is the widow of actor and singer Johannes Heesters. Rethel came from a large, artistic family. Her grandfather was a painter.
Rethel married Heesters, 46 years her senior, in 1991. In December 2010, the 107-year-old Heesters said that he had quit smoking for his then 61-year-old wife: "She should have me as long as possible."