‘Savage Garden’ singer Darren Hayes is pulling the plug on his relationship after 17 years of marriage.
According to legal documents, obtained by The Blast, Hayes filed for the dissolution of his marriage in the Los Angeles County courthouse against his longtime husband, Richard Cullen.
As in many cases, Hayes cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split — but no specific explanation was given for the breakup. Interestingly, Hayes got in front of the filing by publicizing the problems in his marriage.
The singer announced in May of 2023 that he was separating from his husband, saying, “After 17 years of marriage to the best person I have ever met, Richard and I have chosen to accept that our union has gently and beautifully come to rest. In honor of this realization, we separated earlier this year and have been supporting each other emotionally throughout this massive change in our lives..”
Shockingly, he got specific about the situation.
‘Savage Garden’ Singer Darren Hayes Breaks Silence On His Divorce
“Because people will ask, let me answer the ugly questions to get them out of the way forever — no, there’s no scandal to report, no infidelity, guilty or third party. We are still best friends. We always will be. Besides – we have a very cute and needy labradoodle to take care of – and the business of joy to attend to.”
Darren and Richard were a couple for a very long time, and unless the couple had a prenuptial agreement, their money and property would most likely be split right down the middle. Plus, the party earning the most income will most likely have to pay the other some sort of spousal support.
Several reports indicate that Darren came out to his friends and record label in the early 2000s. He married his boyfriend, Richard, in 2005 after dating for 2 years.
As for child support, the former couple has no children, so it won’t be an issue.
This isn’t the first time Darren has dealt with the fallout of a major split. In 2001, Savage Garden made the announcement they were breaking up the band. A statement indicated that there was no bad blood between the singer and his guitarist partners.
“We are extremely grateful to our fans all around the world for their incredible support over the years. The success of Savage Garden and our time together has been an amazing experience… one that we will never forget. We just hope that you all understand our individual needs to continue growing,” the statement read.
Of course, fans are hoping the band will start touring again.
You never know…
If you want to feel worse about this situation, just take a few seconds to remember and listen to the band’s biggest hit ‘Truly Madly Deeply’ — it might just get the tears flowing. In December 2020, Savage Garden was listed at number 28 in Rolling Stone Australia‘s “50 Greatest Australian Artists of All Time.”
