Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, Grammy-winning singer-songwriters, have terminated their marriage after nearly 11 years together. According to court papers obtained by People magazine, Isbell filed for divorce in Williamson County Chancery Court, located just outside of Nashville, on December 15, 2023.

Many admirers, who appreciated the couple’s personal and professional collaboration, are shocked by the news. Isbell and Shires married in 2013, following Isbell’s battle with addiction and eventual sobriety.

Since their wedding in February 2013, Isbell and Shires, who have an 8-year-old daughter named Mercy, have been a musical powerhouse. Shires plays guitar for Isbell’s country supergroup The Highwomen, as well as fiddle and backup vocals for her band the 400 Unit.

Isbell wrote on Instagram, “Every day I wake up and fall in love with you again,” in honour of their tenth anniversary in February 2023. Despite this, the couple has been open about the burden that the release of Isbell’s album Reunions in 2020 put on their marriage.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a quasi-famous person like Jason or me, everybody’s relationships are the same; there’s ups and downs and there’s good and bad and you just try to deal with it,” she told the magazine in 2022. “Life’s not easy, marriage isn’t easy, but aren’t we lucky to be able to live?”

Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires were frequent musical collaborators and touring partners. Their personal and creative connection connected with their audience, thus their split was unexpected. Neither has publicly commented on the divorce, but their representatives acknowledged the filing without providing further information.

Isbell recently released his critically acclaimed album Weathervanes in August 2023, and Shires is a founding member of the renowned all-female country group The Highwomen.