Zac Brown and his wife Shelly have announced their decision to separate following 12 years of marriage. The couple shared the news via People on Friday (Oct. 5).

“We feel blessed to be on such an incredible journey in life, and sometimes the journey begins to lead in different directions," say the Browns in a joint statement. "It is with deep love and respect that we announce we are separating as a couple."

Brown -- the leader of the Zac Brown Band -- and his wife have been married since 2006. Together, they have five children: 11-year-old Justice, 10-year-old Lucy, 8-year-old Georgia, 7-year-old Joni and 4-year-old Alexander.

“We have led a whirlwind life together growing into a beautiful family with five amazing children, and while life will be rearranging a bit, our love and commitment to our family will always be there,” the couple adds. “This was a difficult decision, but we’ve done plenty of tough things together, and this is our next venture — love, mutual respect and care for each other are what we are moving forward with.”

The Brown's met through a friend of Zac's, Shelly shared in a 2017 interview. The two shared their first kiss, Brown says, at a New Year's Eve concert.

“Family comes in all different forms,” the two say to end their statement. “We would like to ask that rather than commenting or spending any energy towards this, that you take this moment to send love to your family, in honor of ours.”

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