Rock duo The White Stripes have announced their split after 13 years together.
The band, which consists of former husband and wife Meg and Jack White, posted a statement on their website yesterday evening confirming the news.
It reads: “The White Stripes would like to announce that today, February 2nd, 2011, their band has officially ended and will make no further new recordings or perform live.”
The band remain cryptic about the reasons for their decision, saying: “[it] is not due to artistic differences of lack of wanting to continue, nor any health issues as both Meg and Jack are feeling fine and in good health.
“It is for a myriad of reasons, but mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way.”
The White Stripes formed in Detroit in 1997 and released six studio albums, enjoying masses of critical and commercial success. They won several Grammy awards and one Brit.
Since 2007’s Icky Thump the band had been on hiatus, with frontman Jack, who is married to supermodel Karen Elson, concentrating on his two other bands, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather.
The statement ends with a message to fans reading: “The White Stripes do not belong to Meg and Jack anymore. 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. Your involvement will never be lost on us and we are truly grateful.”