Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, has taken the decision to conclude her eight-year-long marital journey with actor husband, Richard Lawson.
Tina, who was previously known as Celestine Lawson, has headed to the court to file for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences as the cause, as revealed by legal documents acquired.
The couple’s separation date is noted as Tuesday, a day before the divorce filing. In an interesting turn, Tina, who had modified her name to Celestine Lawson post-marriage, is now seeking to restore her name to Celestine Knowles.
Tina and Richard have no children together. However, Tina shares two children with her former husband, Mathew Knowles: the global music icon Beyoncé, 41, and the talented singer and actress Solange, 37.
© Photo: Getty ImagesLOOK: Beyoncé and Jay-Z are renovating their £70million home – see what they have planned
The end of Tina and Richard’s marital bond comes to light at a time when the former hasn’t been publicly supporting Richard while he was busy promoting his latest film, Black Terror.
Richard’s recent appearances at film festivals like Essence Festival and Cannes Film Festival have been sans Tina’s presence.
Tina and Richard, who had known each other for several years, had exchanged vows on a yacht near Newport Beach, California in 2015, following two years of dating.
© Arnold TurnerBeyoncé, in celebration of the occasion, had shared a lovely picture of the newlyweds in their matching white outfits on her website.
Guests at the wedding, including Beyoncé, her husband Jay Z, their daughter Blue Ivy, and Solange were asked to wear white for the evening ceremony.
© Kevin MazurTina had spoken up about finding love with Richard after her first divorce, confessing: “I’m at my happiest I’ve been in a long, long time.”
Tina’s previous husband Mathew, whom she separated from in 2009 after 31 years of marriage, had a stint managing Beyoncé’s illustrious career from her teenage years through her rise to stardom.
© Sylvain Gaboury/GettyTina, on the other hand, served as the stylist for Destiny’s Child throughout their fame and even collaborated with Beyoncé to create the House Of Dereon fashion line in 2005.
She has previously spoken up about how her daughters helped her through the pain of her first divorce.
Speaking to Essence in 2020, she said: “When I went through my divorce, I was devastated after 33 years of marriage—not because I wanted to stay in a marriage, but just because I was like, “Oh, my God, I failed at this.”‘
In the legal documents, Tina has asked the court to relinquish its ability to award spousal support to either her or Richard.
