Atlanta country singer Zac Brown and his wife Shelly are separating after 12 years of marriage.
The couple, married since 2006, announced their split in a joint statement to People magazine.
“We feel blessed to be on such an incredible journey in life and sometimes the journey begins to lead in different directions. It is with deep love and respect that we announce we are separating as a couple,” the statement read. “We have led a whirlwind life together growing into a beautiful family with five amazing children and while life will be rearranging a bit, our love and commitment to our family will always be there.
“This was a difficult decision, but we’ve done plenty of tough things together and this is our next venture — love, mutual respect, and care for each other are what we are moving forward with. Family comes in all different forms. We would like to ask that rather than commenting or spending any energy towards this, that you take this moment to send love to your family, in honor of ours.”
The Atlanta country star, 40, and Shelly, 34, founder of Shelly Brown Jewelry, have five children: Alexander, 4; and daughters Joni, 7; Georgia, 8; Lucy, 10; and Justice, 11.
Shelly Brown, an alumnus of Georgia State University, launched her lifestyle brand in 2015.
Zac Brown and his namesake band filled stadiums this summer on their “Down the Rabbit Hole” tour. The band played its first Atlanta stadium show in July at SunTrust Park.