Billy Joel and his wife Katie Lee have split.
Reps for both have confirmed the sad news, explaining, "This decision is a result of much thoughtful consideration."
A spokesman for the pair adds, "Billy and Katie remain caring friends with admiration and respect for each other."
Rocker Joel, 60, wed the then-budding chef in 2004. It was his third marriage.
Questions about the couple's relationship hit gossip columns last month after photographs of 27-year-old Lee dancing with designer Yigal Azrouel, 36, appeared in the tabloids.
Sources reported seeing the pair dirty dancing in Miami in January and have claimed that in unguarded moments Azrouel referred to Lee as "my girlfriend."
But Joel's publicists insisted Azrouel was just a friend, and the musician's spokeswoman, Claire Mercuri, tells the New York Daily News, "Their decision to separate was absolutely unrelated to Yigal."
(c) 2009 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.
MORE NEWS: Stephanie Pratt Opens Up About Bulimia Battle
Photo(s) by Michael Carpenter / WENN.com- © 2009- WENN.com- All Rights Reserved