Bill and Melinda Gates separates after 27 years of Marriage
Co-founder of Microsoft Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates have announced the end of their 27 years old marriage.
The couple announced this via their verified Twitter accounts on Monday.
The tweet reads “After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,”
“Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives,” the statement says.
“We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives.”
“We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life” The statement read.
A spokesperson for the organization wrote in an emailed statement that they will remain co-chairs and trustees of the foundation.
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“No changes to their roles or the organization are planned,” according to the statement. “They will continue to work together to shape and approve foundation strategies, advocate for the foundation’s issues, and set the organization’s overall direction.”
The couple filed for divorce in King County, Washington on Monday, an online search of court dockets shows. They have a separation agreement, according to a copy of a divorce petition posted by the website TMZ, which doesn’t elaborate on the terms. It calls their marriage “irretrievably broken.”
The couple founded their philanthropic organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, together in 2000. Since then, the foundation has spent $53.8 billion on a wide range of initiatives related to global health, poverty alleviation and more, according to its website.
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According to Forbes, Bill Gates is the fourth wealthiest person in the world with a net worth of over $130 billion.