Rock artist John Mellencamp and former wife Elaine Irwin Mellencamp have now officially split. Their divorce became final on August 12. The settlement agreement declares that the two handled property division amicably, but word has not surfaced on how much Mellencamp will have to pay in alimony. Property rights were also settled, but most of the details of the final 31-page agreement have not been released to the media.
Mellencamp reportedly filed for divorce due to unspecified irreconcilable differences. Like Maryland, Mellencamp’s home state allows for no-fault divorce. This means that a divorcing couple may decide to split without providing any specific reasons. Mellencamp and Irwin, who will return to her maiden name, decided to separate after 18 years of marriage. A family spokesperson issued a statement regarding the split, saying that the couple is proud of the relationship they shared and arrived at the decision to divorce amicably.
The couple was first introduced in 1991 when Irwin posed for one of Mellencamp’s upcoming album covers. The two become engaged after 10 weeks and were married later that year.
According to the settlement agreement, Irwin will be given primary physical custody over the couple’s two teenage children. Mellencamp will fund their schooling, make regular child support payments and will share joint legal custody with his former wife. Both Irwin and Mellencamp plan to remain in Indiana where they say they will to raise their children together. It is not clear which of them, if either, will remain in the family’s 56-acre property.
Source: People, “John Mellencamp Officially Divorced,” Hilary Shenfeld, Aug. 15, 2011
