American singer Akon made headlines after his wife, Tomeka Thiam, filed for divorce ending their long term relationship.

The news came just days before the couple would have celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary. 

According to reports, Tomeka, who exchanged vows with the Lonely singer in 1996, cited “irreconcilable differences” in her filing.

She requested joint legal custody of their daughter, 17-year-old Journey, while asking for primary physical custody herself. 

The record label executive also sought spousal support but asked that the court not award any to the  52-year-old singer.

The No More You songwriter, who gained fame with his record breaking songs such as Smack That and Right Now, also made his mark in Bollywood with Chammak Challo and Criminal from Ra.One.

The singer had openly discussed polygamy, which he described as a part of his cultural heritage.

Previously, in a 2022 interview, he stated, “For me, it looks normal, because it’s culture for us. We didn’t go outside of our African culture when we got to the Western world.

 See, the flaw that the Western world made is they created all these rules without putting nature into account.” 

As per Akon, his role as a father remained a priority. 

He explained that his focus lay in teaching his children to be “responsible and understanding,” adding that FaceTime allowed him to stay involved their daily routine.