Recent reports have surfaced regarding the purported intention of Metallica’s frontman, James Hetfield, and his wife of 25 years, Francesca, to pursue a divorce. Speaking to TMZ, Francesca expressed her lamentation, stating that the relationship had reached a point where she never imagined it would.

TMZ initially claimed that a “source close to the former couple” had informed them of James filing divorce papers in Colorado earlier this year. However, the outlet could not independently verify the existence of these legal documents.

In an update, TMZ shared a statement provided by Francesca, carefully avoiding the explicit use of the word “divorce” but hinting at a sense of finality in the relationship. On August 16, one day before the couple’s 25th wedding anniversary, Francesca shared, “After 30 years of ups and downs but always with a lot of love, I am extremely saddened that my marriage has come to this.”

James and Francesca tied the knot on August 17, 1997, and share three children together — Castor, Cali, and Marcella.

As of now, no additional details about the situation are available. Loudwire extends its best wishes to James and Francesca as they navigate through this challenging phase in their lives.

Meanwhile, Metallica has experienced a resurgence in popularity, thanks in part to the viral inclusion of “Master of Puppets” in a pivotal scene during the fourth season finale of the Stranger Things TV show. Recently, the song claimed the top spot on Billboard’s Top TV Charts, with three other songs from the show filling out the rest of the top four.