Entertainment

Etheridge And Cypher Call It Quits

September 19, 2000 / 3:17 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Rocker Melissa Etheridge and her girlfriend, director Julie Cypher, announced Tuesday they were ending their relationship after 12 years.

"With the utmost of love and respect for one another, we have decided to separate," the couple announced in a statement released by Etheridge's label, Island Records.

Etheridge And Crosby Talk

Etheridge and Cypher's announcement that rock star David Crosby was the father of their two young children raised questions about family values, gay parents and how the unusual arrangement would affect the two children. To find out more about their arrangement, 60 Minutes II's Charlie Rose interviewed Etheridge, Cypher and Crosby.

"As committed parents, our top priority continues to be what is in the best interest of our children. Though elements of our lives will change, our family will always remain intact."

Etheridge and Cypher were one of Hollywood's most famous lesbian couples, after Ellen DeGeneres and Ann Heche, who announced their breakup last month.

Cypher gave birth to the couple's three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son. In January, they revealed to Rolling Stone magazine that rock legend David Crosby was the children's biological father, donating the sperm so the couple could conceive through artificial insemination.

Etheridge's publicist, Sheila Richman, told The Associated Press that the couple would not discuss custody issues or any other details of the split.

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