There's a reason Rush Limbaugh lays claim to the title "excellence in broadcasting," not "excellence in matrimony."
The conservative radio host has struck out for a third time in the marriage department, announcing his split Friday from incumbent spouse Marta Limbaugh.
In a brief statement, the uncoupling was chalked up to a mutual decision. It noted the two presently were separated "pending an amicable resolution."
A Limbaugh spokesman did not know if the broadcast star talked about the pending divorce on air Friday. The show was to be devoted to coverage of the state funeral of former President Ronald Reagan.
Limbaugh and his wife marked their 10th wedding anniversary on May 27.
Per romantic lore, the former Marta Fitzgerald was, take your pick, an aerobics teacher, a professor or a journalist when she and the burgeoning media star met via a CompuServe bulletin board in 1990. At the time, she was a 35-year-old mother of two .
The two were married in 1994 at the Virginia home of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who also officiated.
Limbaugh, 53, previously served as groom to Roxy Maxine McNeely, whom he wed in 1977, and Michelle Sixta, whom he exchanged rings with in 1983. The McNeely union ended in 1979; the Sixta one, circa 1988.
With Marta Limbaugh, Limbaugh enjoyed his greatest successes, and some of his biggest failures.
Limbaugh's Republican-weighted rants went wide in the early 1990s, with the former deejay fast becoming the nation's most-listened-to talk host amassing a legion of 20 million listeners. He is signed with Premiere Radio Networks through 2009, fat with a contract reportedly worth $285 million.
In 1996, the Limbaughs moved to a Palm Beach, Florida, mansion worth an estimated $30 million.
Health troubles hit Limbaugh in 2001, he announced he'd all but gone deaf from an autoimmune ear disease. A cochlear implant corrected the problem.
In October 2003, Limbaugh self-destructed just one month into a high-profile ESPN gig, resigning after making remarks that critics called racist.
The hits kept coming when days later Limbaugh checked himself into rehab, saying he was hooked on prescription painkillers.
Limbaugh's penchant for painkillers--a former maid reportedly said she supplied her boss with Lorcet, Hydrocodone and OxyContin--resulted in an ongoing investigation in Florida probing whether he obtained pills illegally.
Add marital woes to Limbaugh's list of setbacks. No word on who'll get custody of the rhetoric.