Metallica frontman James Hetfield and wife Francesca are heading for a divorce, it's been reported.
The rocker and his wife have been married for 25 years and share three children together, but their union is apparently all over and the former couple are allegedly in the process of quietly divorcing.
James and Francesca first met in 1992 - going on to tie the knot in 1997 - and became doting parents to daughters Cali, 24, Marcella, 20, and son Castor, 22, following their wedding in the late 90s.
The Master of Puppets singer, 59, is said to have actually filed for divorce from his long-term wife earlier this year, but the alleged split has only just become public knowledge.
American publication TMZ reports that James filed for divorce from his wife of almost-three decades in Colorado earlier this year, but the former couple are keen to keep their split low-key.
Despite going their separate ways, a source claims James and Francesca are splitting on good terms, and are "still in touch" with each other due to sharing their three children together.
The Mirror has approached a representative for James for comment on this story.
Prior to their split, James and Francesca resided together in Vail, Colorado - with the rocker previously citing a "multitude of reasons" for moving there, including it being his wife's childhood hometown and the quiet nature of the area.
The singer also revealed he relocated from Northern California due to growing tired of the negative reaction he received from locals who didn't agree with his political views and lifestyle choices.
"I kind of got sick of the Bay Area, the attitudes of the people there, a little bit," he previously told podcast host Joe Rogan.
"They talk about how diverse they are, and things like that, and it's fine if you're diverse like them. But showing up with a deer on the bumper doesn't fly in Marin County."
Over the years, James has also credited his wife with helping him mature and deal with his anger issues - explaining how after they met, his destructive tendencies often caused embarrassment for both of them.
"My wife has been the most amazing person in my life," he admitted to the Marin Independent Journal in 2009.
"She has ridden the big waves with me. We have gone through some extremely difficult things and come out stronger. She’s stuck with me through all the hell.
"When I met her, I knew she was brought to me to help me get out of this hell hole. And she did."
In another past interview, James revealed his wife - who often joined him on tour with Metallica - once threatened to take their kids out of the family home if he couldn't get his anger issues in order.
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