When reading tabloids or following the relationships of the stars, divorce is never far from people’s minds. Often, hearing of a couple’s divorce in Hollywood is not shocking, as if the question of splitting was not a matter of “if,” but “when.”
However, there are occasionally stalwarts of the institution, married movie stars and musicians who serve as pillars of hope for everyone. Their marriages can survive the turmoil of superstardom, we tell ourselves, and so we believe ours can survive. Tom Hanks has been happily married to his wife Rita Wilson for over 25 years. Christopher and Dana Reeve stayed together from the moment of their marriage in 1992, through Christopher’s accident that paralyzed him from the neck down, until the day of Christopher’s death in 2004.
Still others, however, we were certain would last, and then dashed our hopes and caused us to question whether marriage in general was futile. Though they are in the process of reconciliation, the world was shocked to hear that Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman were calling it quits after 30 years. And, though they never married, the country mourned the split of Hollywood super couple Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins in 2009. One thing no one expected, however, was for the immortal Captain and Tenille to declare an end to their marriage.
Captain and Tenille
Early in January 2014, Toni Tenille filed for divorce from Daryl “Captain” Dragon in Arizona. The couple had married in 1975, years after their tenure as the feted musical duo Captain and Tenille had begun. They had numerous hits throughout the 70s and 80s, including “Muskrat Love,” “Do That To Me One More Time,” and the unfortunately-titled “Love Will Keep Us Together.” After 39 years of marriage, the question on everyone’s mind is not only “why,” but “why now?”
The trend in older couples divorcing is on the rise, with gray divorce having doubled in the last two decades. At the age of 71 and 73, respectively, Captain and Tenille have decided to split at what seems from the outside as an inopportune time. Some speculate that it might be a ploy to improve the Captain’s medical insurance to deal with his previously-diagnosed neurological disorder.
Contact an Illinois Divorce Attorney
No matter what the reason, the news has hit a nation hard. Indeed, some couples are seen as the bedrock upon which our modern notions of marriage are built. When those couples call it a day, it makes us all question the strength of our cherished institutions. Regardless of how you feel about marriage, it can and does end. Ending it gently requires the input of an expert, and our family law attorneys are experts. If you are contemplating divorce, contact Sullivan Taylor & Gumina at 630-665-7676.
