Says tear-jerker made him realize his marriage 'had died'
There are several ways to know your marriage is on its way toward divorce – lots of broken dinnerware, angry words yelled at each other and nights sleeping alone are just a few. But for R&B singer R. Kelly, his moment of clarity ironically came in a darkened theater through tear-reddened eyes after watching the 2004 film, The Notebook. Yes, the same one with Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams.
Kelly divulged the saucy nugget in his recently released autobiography, "Soulacoaster, The Diary of Me", where he explains that his then-six year marriage to his former back-up dancer Andrea was hitting a wall. The two, who married in 1996 and divorced in 2009, were in the middle of a fight over the former dancer's career and her role in taking care of their three children. She claims that her intent was never to become a stay-home mom, and she wanted to continue her career.
Kelly saw it a different way, but wanted to keep the relationship going. However, one incident after another – including Kelly throwing her $50,000 wedding ring in a pond behind their home – left him wondering where they were going. Then, one night, he walked into a movie theater to watch the screen adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks best-seller.
"[A]s the film credits started to roll, I couldn't move. I burst into tears. People walking past me patted me on the back, trying to console me. 'The Notebook' was beautiful, and I was crying because its hero and heroine had died together. But I was also crying because I remembered a Valentine's Day -- when a helicopter dropped a rainfall of roses -- that had come and gone ... My marriage had died. And there was nothing I could do to bring it back."
It would take five years – and a child pornography rap Kelly beat – for the couple to divorce, but you can't say Kelly didn't at least try to make it work. You could say his marriage was a soulacoaster of a ride.