The Celebrity Breakup Everyone Was Talking About The Year You Were Born
Every year seems to bring bigger and better celebrity breakups. Some, like Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum, rip a hole in your heart. Others, like Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson, make you think "yep, we all knew they wouldn't last."
Celebrities have been hooking up, getting married, having affairs, and breaking up for what feels like an eternity. Take a look back at each year to see which favorite celebrity couple shocked us all by calling it quits and made the cover of every sensational tabloid while they were at it.
1970: Barbra Streisand And Elliot Gould
These two vocal powerhouses met in 1962 on the set of the Broadway musical I Can Get It For You Wholesale. Believe it or not, Elliot had the lead and Barbra was practically unknown at the time.
They went their separate ways in 1970, probably because they both started to make it big on their own.
1971: Natalie Wood And Richard Gregson
The drama surrounding this breakup came from infidelity rumors. Apparently, Richard had cheated on Natalie with none other than her personal secretary.
Natalie left Richard because of it and quickly rekindled with her ex-husband who she went on to re-marry the next year. 1971 was a wild time.
1972: Diane Keaton And Woody Allen
Diane met the famous director when she auditioned for a role in the Broadway show Play it Again, Sam. Allen says it was Diane's sense of humor that attracted him.
They lived together during the production, but by the time the film version was released in 1972, they had ended things and moved into separate apartments.
1973: Elvis And Priscilla Presley
Fans were understandably upset when Elvis became officially off-the-market and married Priscilla, but it didn't last long. By all accounts, Elvis was very controlling of her.
In 1973, Priscilla ended things by telling the King that she'd fallen in love with someone else. Many fans say Elvis was never the same.
1974: Elizabeth Taylor And Richard Burton
The love story between these two is filled with so much drama that you can watch a Lifetime movie about it. 1974 marked the end of their first marriage.
Richard left Elizabeth so he could try and marry an already-married princess of Yugoslavia, but that didn't work and these two would rekindle and marry again in 1975. That's just the tip of the iceberg.
1975: Sonny And Cher
The two had been a fixture on our television screens for years, so it was heartbreaking for fans when Cher left Sonny in 1974 and their divorced was finalized in 1975. Things got extra weird when Cher cited "involuntary servitude" as the reason for the divorce.
Apparently, he withheld assets from her, and they even went into a nasty court battle over custody of their child.
1976: Angie Dickinson And Burt Bacharach
It seemed like the demise of these two Hollywood stars was all thanks to the problems of fame. Angie even said at one point that she'd "hate if I were a bigger star than my husband."
It sounds like Burt couldn't handle his wife's fame and the two separated in 1976, then finalized their divorce in 1981.
1977: Ike And Tina Turner
These two might have made great music together, but now we all know just how abusive their relationship was. Tina left Ike with just 36 cents in her pocket and a Mobil credit card after a huge fight.
Any woman who has suffered abuse felt a certain kind of solidarity with Tina finally freeing herself, and her music.
1978: Bianca And Mick Jagger
It was no surprise for many that a ladies man like Mick wouldn't be able to make a relationship last. Rumors of cheating with supermodel Jerry Hall led Bianca to leave Mick.
Addressing the rumors later on, she told the public that "my marriage ended on my wedding day."
1979: Farrah Fawcett And Lee Majors
In yet another instance of the balance of power shifting, Farrah and Lee broke up in 1979 after Charlie's Angels skyrocketed Farrah to the top of Hollywood's "it" list.
Lee had his own success with Six Million Dollar Man, but it wasn't enough to keep his fragile masculinity intact.
1980: Sally Field And Burt Reynolds
Sally and Burt's breakup was so publicized because they appeared in four movies at the time of their budding romance. In 1980, Sally was riding high off her Oscar win for Norma Rae, and Burt just filmed the sequel to Smokey and the Bandit.
Both of them were too famous. It could never work.
1981: Jacqueline Ray And Tom Selleck
We can't get enough of '80s hunks with mustaches. Tom was married to model Jacqueline for more than a decade when he decided to end things.
This happened right when he landed the lead role on Magnum, P.I. Coincidence? We think not. The divorce also left the two to co-parent their adopted son, Kevin.
1982: Ted And Joan Kennedy
The Kennedys are practically American royalty, and their breakups are just as publicized as celebrity ones. Ted and Joan were married for 24 years before they decided to divorce.
The 1982 divorce also forced Ted to withdraw his bid for the 1984 presidency. This breakup was all the rage in political circles.
1983: Carly Simon And James Taylor
The famous singer and equally talented songwriter had an eleven-year relationship before they decided to go their separate ways.
Carly says it was because of James' drug addiction and infidelity, but it also made everyone wonder if he was the subject of her famous song "You're So Vain."
1984: Carrie Fisher And Paul Simon
The Star Wars princess and legendary songwriter tired the knot in 1983 but split less than a year later. At the time, all the tabloids claimed it was her drug addiction that forced them apart, but Carrie had other opinions.
In her book, Wishful Drinking, she said that she and Paul had a "passionate relationship" but that "the words got mean, so we got divorced."
1986: Janet Jackson And James DeBarge
This couple eloped in 1986 when Janet was only 18. She'd just released her second solo album and was a bonafide teen idol. The two separated only eight months later and rumors said it was because the marriage threatened her idol status.
We can only assume that her father/manager Joe Jackson had something to do with that divorce.
1986: Quincy Jones And Peggy Lipton
Quincy might be known for producing legendary songs for artists like Michael Jackson, but he isn't exactly known for being good at stable relationships. Quincy has had children with five women, and both his daughters with actress Peggy went on to be actresses as well.
The divorce shocked the public, but the two have stayed amicable and still are seen together at events today.
1987: Madonna And Sean Penn
These two were headlining the tabloids long before their breakup in 1987. Their relationship was filled with jealousy and anger from the start.
No one was surprised when they finally called it quits, but it did give the American public some good grocery store checkout reading. The People cover for their split read "Diary of a Mad Marriage."
1988: Eric Clapton And Pattie Boyd
Pattie had already been a tabloid story years before after she left former Beatle George Harrison for Eric Clapton. Then the tables turned and Eric fathered a child with another woman, turned into a "full-blown" alcoholic, and was even violent towards Pattie.
The two separated in 1988 after Pattie began to suspect Eric didn't really love her, he just "wanted what George had."
1989: Mike Tyson And Robin Givens
This relationship was on everyone's radar after an interview with Barbara Walters that addressed Mike's "scary" side and his "extremely volatile temper." There was rumor after rumor that Mike hit Robin, and that now Robin was trying to get all his money.
The relationship ended poorly, to say the least, but Mike's fans stuck by his side and even attacked Robin after the divorce.
1990: Anjelica Huston And Jack Nicholson
Anjelica and Jack were both practically Hollywood royalty by 1990. Imagine them as the original Brangelina. There were together for nearly 17 years on-and-off and starred in two films together.
When the two separated in 1990, it felt like the end of an era, kind of like how we felt with Brangelina actually.
1991: Kiefer Sutherland And Julia Roberts
The end of this relationship shocked us all because it was called off three days before the wedding. I repeat — three days. They had the dress, the cake, the flowers, everything when Julia decided to cancel it.
Kiefer doesn't seem bitter though, and admits they were both very young and foolish at the time.
1992: Lisa Bonet And Lenny Kravitz
The two dreadlocked superstars stole our hearts when they eloped to Vegas in 1987, but called it quits only five years later. In that time though they did have one child, who happens to be the equally talented actress Zoe Kravitz.
Lisa and Lenny are still good friends though, which is what every couple aspires to be.
1993: Johnny Depp And Winona Ryder
The creepy couple came together after starring opposite each other in the cult classic, Edward Scissorhands. They had quite the love affair including tattoos, engagements, and strange public appearances.
This breakup is also what gave us the legendary move of Johnny changing his "Winona Forever" tattoo to say "Wino Forever."
1994: Tom Arnold And Roseanne Barr
These two worked together on the set of Roseanne, but as the show got bigger and bigger, their relationship got worse and worse.
The tabloids often told stories of their heated fights on set in front of the entire cast, and Tom cheating on Roseanne with his 24-year-old assistant.
1995: Courteney Cox And Michael Keaton
Courteney had just finished up the first season of Friends and Michael was busy being a superhero (weird, we know). The two were together for more than five years, but Courteney's big break seemed to be too much pressure.
They separated and Courteney quickly found love again with David Arquette.
1996: Prince Charles And Princess Diana
If the Kennedy's were American royalty, these two are the real deal. The royal couple changed the way media follows celebrities, and Diana managed to make the royal family cool again.
The breakup shocked no one, and she later went on to record that infamous interview at Buckingham Palace where she said, "Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded." We're look at you, Camilla.
1997: Brad Pitt And Gwyneth Paltrow
Yes, before there was Bennifer or Brangelina, there was Bryneth. These two were so young and in love. Their breakup hurt, but in the late '90s it was just a reason for Brad's fangirls to feel like they actually had a chance.
There wasn't much drama with the split, but that's because Brad was saving the drama for his split with Jennifer Aniston.
1998: Matt Damon And Minnie Driver
These two were destined for at least a fleeting romance after starring opposite each other in Good Will Hunting. The relationship didn't last long though and brought the drama.
In an interview with Oprah, Matt said he didn't have a girlfriend despite the fact he was obviously dating Minnie. She then told the Los Angeles Times that the interview was "fantastically inappropriate."
1999: Brooke Shields And Andre Agassi
It looked like our favorite actress had finally found love in tennis payer Andre, but according to Brooke, it was his drug abuse that made their two-year marriage finally fall apart in 1999.
It also didn't help that Andre never seemed to be madly in love with Brooke. He had dated Barbra Streisand in the early '90s and described that relationship as "forbidden...like wearing Hot Lava."
