Chance the Rapper and wife Kirsten announce ‘decision to part ways’ after separation

Chance the Rapper and his wife, Kirsten Corley Bennett, have announced their "decision to part ways" following a separation period during their five years of marriage.

They shared the news in the same post to their respective Instagram stories April 3 and have two children, Kensli Bennett, 8, and Marli Grace Bennett, 4, together.

"After a period of separation, the two of us have arrived at the decision to part ways," their statement read.

"We came to this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together," they continued. "God has blessed us with two beautiful daughters who we will continue to raise together."

They ended the statement by asking for privacy as they "navigate this transition."

The two tied the knot in March 2019, but, as the Chicago Tribune reported at the time, they weren't legally married until after a civil ceremony in December 2018.

The rapper announced the news of their engagement in a social media post on the Fourth of July in 2018.

A year later, in 2019, he reveled the sweet story of how he and his wife first met.

In a thread shared on X that included a throwback photo of his now-wife, Chance said he was 9 years old and living in Chicago, when he first encountered Kirsten.

He said he saw her at the real estate office his mom worked at in 2003 when she performed "Independent Women" by Destiny's Child with some friends.

Chance recalled that when they started singing, he felt he was "locking eyes with the prettiest girl I ever seen in my almost-a-decade of life on earth."

Though the rapper said he was too "shy" to say something, he felt their encounter was kismet.

"I knew I was gonna marry that girl and I aint wanna jump the gun," he said.

Last month, the couple celebrated their 5th wedding anniversary on March 9. However, neither of them took to social media to mark the occasion similar to previous years.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com