Kenny 'Babyface' Edmonds and Wife Nicole Pantenburg Ending Their Marriage After 7 Years

"We continue to care and have respect for one another and share eternal love for our daughter and her well-being," the former couple said in a joint statement

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Nicholas Rice
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Nicholas Rice
Nicholas Rice is a Senior Editor for PEOPLE Magazine. He began working with the brand as an Editorial Intern in early 2020, before later transitioning to a freelance role, and then staff positions soon after. Nicholas writes and edits anywhere between 7 to 9 stories per day on average for PEOPLE, spanning across each vertical the brand covers.
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Published on July 14, 2021 08:47AM EDT
Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds and Nicole Pantenburg
Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds and Nicole Pantenburg. Photo: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for The Art Of Elysium

Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds and wife Nicole Pantenburg are going their separate ways.

In a joint statement shared with PEOPLE Wednesday, the pair announced their split. "After much thought and with great sadness, we have decided to end our marriage," the now-former couple said.

"We continue to care and have respect for one another and share eternal love for our daughter and her well-being," they added, referring to daughter Peyton Nicole, 12. "We ask for personal privacy for ourselves and our daughter as we navigate these new steps as a family."

It's currently unclear when the pair plan to legally separate, as well as what led to the split between Edmonds, 62, and Pantenburg, 48.

A representative for Edmonds did not provide any further comment.

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Nikki Edmonds and Kenny 'Babyface' Edmonds
Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for LACMA

The Grammy award-winning singer and producer began dating the actress back in 2007, and they married seven years later in 2014. At the time, the couple tied the knot in front of a group of celebrity guests including Oprah Winfrey, among others.

Pantenburg wass Edmonds' third wife. The artist was previously married to his first wife, Denise, and then to his second wife, Tracey Edmonds, whom he met in 1990 and wed two years later.

The "Every Time I Close My Eyes" singer and his second wife welcomed two children together — sons Brandon and Dylan — before divorcing 13 years later in 2005.

During a 2015 interview with NPR, Edmonds spoke candidly about Pantenburg when he was asked about love in his life.

"The big love of my life. That's a hard question because there's a lot of loves in my life. There's my wife, Nikki," he said. "There's my daughter and my boys."

"A couple of years ago I lost my mom, and when someone that important leaves this world, it leaves you with this feeling of wanting to grab every moment with those that are around you, and appreciate it," he said at the time.