Zac Brown and wife Shelly split after 12 years of marriage: 'Life will be rearranging a bit'

Zac and Shelly Brown are separating after 12 years of marriage.

Zac Brown, the lead singer of the Zac Brown Band, announced the news Friday in a joint statement with his wife. “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 pair stated.

“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,” they added. “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.”

Zac Brown and Shelly Brown attend CRS 2017 in Nashville. (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for CRS)
Zac Brown and Shelly Brown attend CRS 2017 in Nashville. (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for CRS)

The statement concluded, “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 country star, 40, and the Shelly Brown jewelry designer, 34, met through a mutual friend more than a decade ago and went on to wed in 2006. They have five children: daughters Justice, 11; Lucy, 10; Georgia, 8; Joni, 7; and Alexander, 4.

“We ended up New Year’s Eve playing a show; my date had stood me up, and I remember walking back to my friends with like two minutes before midnight and thinking, I’m not gonna have anybody to kiss on New Year’s,” the musician recalled in an 2015 interview. “And there she was, standing right there. And I remember kissing her, and then that was game over.”

Rumors of marital strife surfaced the following year when the country superstar was allegedly involved in a wild party busted up by police in Palm Beach, Fla. — but nothing really came of it.

The Zac Brown Band is about to wrap up their U.S. tour.

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