Robin Thicke and Paula Patton Separate After Nearly 9 Years of Marriage

R&B-pop star and his actress wife were teen sweethearts; they have one child together, 3 1/2-year-old son Julian

By Natalie Finn Feb 24, 2014 8:46 PMTags
Robin Thicke, Paula Patton, GRAMMYS 2014 Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Robin Thicke and Paula Patton couldn't make it work in the end.

The onetime teenage sweethearts have separated after nearly nine years of marriage, Thicke's rep confirmed Monday to E! News. They have a son together, 3 1/2-year-old Julian.

"We will always love each other and be best friends; however, we have mutually decided to separate at this time," the pair said in a joint statement.

Their last public appearance together was just weeks ago at the Grammy Awards, where Thicke performed and Patton attracted all sorts of attention for her dramatic zebra-striped dress.

While the spouses' tendency to gush profusely about each other has held rumors of trouble on the homefront at bay, reports of possible strife-causing activity on Thicke's part have shadowed the couple for some time.

Zelig Shaul/ACE/INFphoto.com

"I don't know if I would still be alive in some ways if it wasn't for Paula," Thicke said in the September issue of Prestige magazine. "She's been my rock, my muse, my inspiration, and I love her."

"I've been there for his down moments and he's been there for mine," added Patton, in the same interview. "Life is full of peaks and valleys."

When her hubby was named one of People's sexiest men alive in November, the About Last Night star told E! News that the choice "just acknowledges what I always knew was true."

Patton has spent time this month in Vancouver shooting her latest film, Warcraft. She was seen there as recently as Feb. 19, popping into a spa for a facial.

Thicke, meanwhile, canceled his concerts that were scheduled for last Thursday and Friday in Orlando and Atlanta and was spotted at Disneyland yesterday with Julian.

He and Patton, whom he met when he was barely 14, got married on June 11, 2005. Their son was born April 6, 2010.

People was first to report news of the split.