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Singer and guitarist Jack White once lamented the frequency with which he was forced to deny that the White Stripes, his acclaimed band, were about to split.
But last night fans were dismayed by the abrupt announcement that the once- married Whites, Jack and Meg, have – finally – gone their separate ways.
The band have not released an album for four years and Jack has been busy with his two other bands, the Dead Weather and the Raconteurs, as well as his record label, Third Man.
He recently produced the new album by Wanda Jackson, the 73-year-old "Queen of Rockabilly".
In a statement on their official website, the White Stripes said their 13-year "intense and incredible career" has "officially ended" although Third Man Records will continue to put out unreleased live and studio recordings.
The split was due to a "myriad of reasons" but artistic differences were not to blame – and neither were health issues: "Both Meg and Jack are feeling fine."
They said the split was instead "mostly" attributable to their desire to "preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way ... Both Meg and Jack hope ... it is seen as a positive move done out of respect for the art and music that the band created.
"The White Stripes do not belong to Meg and Jack any more," they write. "The White Stripes belong to you now and you can do with it whatever you want.
"The beauty of art and music is that it can last forever if people want it to. Thank you for sharing this experience."
