James Hetfield‘s wife says that she is “extremely saddened” by the end of her marriage to the METALLICA frontman.
Three days after TMZ filed its original report, on August 16, Francesca released the following short statement to the same site:
“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.”
Earlier, as reported by TMZ, sources close to the former couple told them James filed divorce docs against Francesca in Colorado earlier this year.
The filing was apparently never reported, and the couple kept it out of the spotlight.
Hetfield married Francesca in 1997, and together they have three children. During an interview on NPR’s Fresh Air, Hetfield stated that his wife had helped him to mature and learn to deal with his anger issues more constructively, explaining that after they met, his destructive tendencies embarrassed both of them.
Earlier, in a conversation with Little Kids Rock’, James Hetfield said:
“Music has saved my life daily. It has been a passion of mine since the early, early times. Music has been an outlet for me, it has been a connection, and it has been a best friend for me for my whole life.
“Having an option for music, music at schools, I’m an advocate for having an opportunity and a place for people to at least explore that. And if they find it helpful, that’s great. And it could turn out to be a wonderful career.
“I’m here as an example of how music has saved lives.”