Bill and Melinda Gates announced on Twitter in identical statements Monday that they are ending their 27-year marriage.
They said they would continue their involvement in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, but that "we no longer believe we can grow as a couple in this next phase of our lives."
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Bill Gates has taken on the role of tech world elder statesman in recent years, while Melinda has been viewed as a philanthropic and entrepreneurial force.
While the news is unfortunate on a personal level, it also raises questions about the fate of the couple's foundation, which focuses on public health, education, and poverty relief. Married in 1994, the couple merged two previous Gates foundations in 2000 to form the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, each serving as co-chair and trustee. It became Bill Gates' main focus when he stepped down from Microsoft in 2008, and Melinda has played just as visible and active a role. To date, it has awarded nearly $55 billion in grants.
The statement said that the former partners would continue to "work together" at the Foundation and that both still believe in the mission.
This story is developing...
TopicsCelebrities
(责任编辑：探索)
Photos show the Blue Cut fire blazing a path of destruction in California
Double parker receives shoppers' wrath in the form of shopping cartsPeople are freaking out over this Instagram pic of Drake and J.LoEven people with old PCs can play top games with Nvidia's new streaming serviceOlympic security asks female Iranian fan to drop protest signVisualizing July's astounding global temperature records
July set a rare temperature record during a year that is featuring off the charts warmth. The month
...[详细]Even people with old PCs can play top games with Nvidia's new streaming service
LAS VEGAS -- Playing high-end games will no longer require having a high-end PC with the right specs
...[详细]Tiger Woods continues making suspect decisions, golfs with Donald Trump
It just gets weirder and weirder, folks. One day after freeing the nipples on Twitter as "Mac Daddy
...[详细]Jury trial to decide whether the 'Star Trek' fan film boldly went too far
LOS ANGELES -- A trial by jury could decide whether a fan-made 。 Star Trek。film -- meant to be a proo
...[详细]When Honda revealed its stunning and grandparent-scaring Civic Hatchback Prototype earlier this year
...[详细]Dust off your dream journal: 12 of the world's best hotel pools
How good is escapism? The answer is "the best."。 Because it's the end of the year, let's indulge a l
...[详细]Dust off your dream journal: 12 of the world's best hotel pools
How good is escapism? The answer is "the best." 。 Because it's the end of the year, let's indulge a l
...[详细]Apple's software has been anything but 'magical' lately
There was a time when I could blindly update my Apple devices and trust that the update wouldn't bre
...[详细]Hiddleswift finally followed each other on Instagram after 3 excruciating days
On Aug. 13, 1961, Germany began construction of the Berlin Wall, perhaps the greatest symbol of the
...[详细]Nasty Women's Choir: The hilarious Christmas carolers we need at the end of 2016
Think your only options are to be naughty or nice? Well, these carolers are downright nasty. 。The New
...[详细]