Thicke calls it quits with wife

NEW YORK - Blurred Lines singer Robin Thicke cancelled a United States gig on Monday, following his split from his wife of eight years, Paula Patton.

He cut the concert "due to unforeseen circumstances" according to an announcement, website TMZ reported. Two other shows last Friday and Saturday had been cancelled because of "vocal" problems.

Earlier on Monday, Thicke, 36, and actress Patton, 38, said in a statement: "We will always love each other and be best friends. However, we have mutually decided to separate at this time."

They met in 1991 when he was 14 years old and married in 2005. They have a son, Julian Fuego, three.

Thicke's life has been filled with drama since releasing his controversial song Blurred Lines and its video last year. The video showed him dancing with topless models and has been described as sexist.

In August, he caused a sensation with a raunchy performance with singer Miley Cyrus at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Patton had asserted in a television interview that the MTV performance did not matter to her. "I thought, 'Why are people making such a big deal about it?' Quite frankly, all my friends dance like that with him. He's like the guy that you can dance with, 'cause he's safe."

Days later, a photo circulated showing Thicke grabbing a blonde woman's butt at the awards' afterparty.

In January, Thicke was seen being cosy with an unidentified woman in a Paris nightclub. On Monday, TMZ reported Lara Scolaro, the socialite at the Aug 25 party, as saying she "regrets making out with him".

On the split, she said: "Robin acting like that with me makes me think there were many more. It's a shame because when you have a kid, it's upsetting."

The 20-year-old told website Celebuzz last August that she posted the Instagram photo which revealed Thicke's hand on her backside in a mirror behind them. She said she had met him a week before.

But Thicke continued to say his marriage to Patton was strong and passionate. "We're pretty sure we've loved each other for a few lives," he told People.com in an interview in October.

Us Weekly on Monday said the marriage was in trouble after the MTV show. A source told the magazine: "Their marriage had been unravelling for a long time."

Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.