Bill and Melinda Gates Announce Their Decision to 'End Marriage'
Bill and Melinda Gates got married in 1994 in a private ceremony that was held in Lanai, Hawaii. The couple has three children: Jennifer, Phoebe and Rory Gates.
Co-founder of Microsoft Bill Gates on Monday revealed that he and his wife Melinda Gates decided to end their marriage after 27 years.
"After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage", the statement from the couple that Gates posted in his Twitter account said. "[...] We no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives."
The couple outlined that they will continue their work connected with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that was established in 2000, asking for "space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life".
Bill and Melinda Gates got married in 1994. They have three children, Jennifer, Phoebe and Rory Gates.
The charitable foundation that the Gates family established over two decades ago is reportedly the largest private foundation in the world, describing itself as a "nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world."
Melinda is a philanthropist co-chairing the foundation and a former general manager at Microsoft. Bill, who is a co-founder of the company, left day-to-day operations at Microsoft in 2008, focusing on his business and philanthropic endeavors.
He is considered to be one of the richest people in the world, occupying the fourth position in the Forbes' list with the wealth of $124 billion.