Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and wife Nicole Pantenburg, who tied the knot in May 2014 and share 12-year-old daughter Peyton, announced their split in a joint statement on Wednesday, July 14.
In a message posted by TMZ:
After much thought and with great sadness, we have decided to end our marriage. We continue to care and have respect for one another and share eternal love for our daughter and her well-being. We ask for personal privacy for ourselves and our daughter as we navigate these new steps as a family.
Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, 62, is a prolific songwriter and music producer who gained fame in the 1990s due to producing such No. 1 hits as Whitney Houston’s “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road” and Madonna’s “Take a Bow.”
In addition, the Grammy-winning producer has worked with such artists as Mariah Carey, TLC, Ariana Grande, Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars, and Beyoncé. He also shares adult sons Brandon and Dylan with ex-wife Tracey Edmonds.
Babyface competed on Dancing With the Stars in 2016, and upon getting eliminated during the season’s fourth week, he told E! News exclusively that family was on his mind during his stint.
I’m really looking back at the whole experience at this particular point and how amazing it was to be able to dance, to be able to fulfill my vision, my dream of dancing for my mom and making her proud.
Babyface and Nicole’s 2014 wedding ceremony reportedly included guests like Oprah Winfrey. They decided to make it legal after dating for 7 years. At the time they got married, ‘Face was 55 and Nicole was 41.
As of this posting, it’s currently unclear if and when they will file divorce documents or papers to legally separate. Also, Besides dancing, Nicole also landed a few small TV and movie roles. She appeared in the comedies Longshot and Chasing Papi.
She also had recurring parts in the shows Moesha and For Your Love. Perhaps most notably, she played a dancer in an episode of That ’70s Show.