Microsoft technology advisor Bill Gates and his wife Melinda are ending their 27-year marriage. The two made their divorce public yesterday via Twitter.
“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have decided to end our marriage,” they tweeted.
However, the two continue to collaborate in the area of philanthropy through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which they created in 2000.
“Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives. We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives,” the statement read.
Melinda Gates filed an appeal for separation in King County, Washington, on Monday. She asked a judge to dissolve the marriage based on the couple’s separation agreement. However, no monetary details were incorporated in the publicly available documents.
Bill, 65, and Melinda Gates, 56, met at Microsoft in 1987. Melinda served as a product manager while Bill Gates was the CEO.
The two later got married in 1994 on a golf course on the Hawaiian island of Lanai.
Six years after the marriage, they founded and ran the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. For the past year, their foundation has contributed funds totalling up to $1.75 billion in the fight against COVID-19.
The couple, who married 27 years ago, have three children together – Jennifer, Rory and Phoebe.
Bill Gates is one of the richest people in the world. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index ranking, his net worth was $137 billion as of February.
By Everlyne Bosibori
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