Randy Jackson’s Divorce Settled Four Years After Initial Filing
More than four years ago, Randy Jackson’s marriage crumbled. His wife Erika, to whom he had been married since 1995, filed for divorce.
It took a surprisingly long time for the pair’s divorce to become final. A judge signed off on their dissolution of marriage last month, reported TMZ. According to documents obtained by TMZ, the divorce will be official on February 7.
It has not been publicized yet who will take away what in this divorce, since the settlement is being kept quite secretive. Erika asked for spousal support and requested that Randy pay her attorney’s fees. She also intends to return to her maiden name of Riker.
TMZ first broke the story when Erika filed for divorce in September 2014 after 19 years of marriage. She was a ballet dancer and met Randy on the set of a music video shoot. The pair has two adult children together, Stevanna and Genevieve, so custody was not an issue.
However, they did not have a prenup and they were married when Randy, a native of Louisiana, shot to stardom as a judge on American Idol. So Erika presumably will come out just fine in the end. Their split was announced several weeks after Randy sold off his Tarzana, California, estate for $1.9 million, reported the Daily Mail.
Randy Jackson Divorce Approaches Finish Line More Than 4 Years Later https://t.co/Vr5dfwAMv5
— TMZ (@TMZ) January 2, 2019
Randy’s marriage to Erika was his second. The 62-year-old was previously married to singer-songwriter Elizabeth Jackson. They had a daughter, Taylor, together.
Before he ended up in the prestigious spot as a judge on American Idol in 2002, he worked as a session musician for the band Journey and worked with such stars as Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, and Mariah Carey as a producer, songwriter, and musician through Columbia Records and MCA Records.
Once he landed the American Idol stint, he remained there for 12 seasons, agreeing to serve as a mentor of sorts for the 13th season, then stepping down completely at a time when his personal life was in strife, he told People.
“After 13 seasons, I felt now was the perfect time to leave American Idol. I’m proud to have been a part of a series that discovered some incredible artists and will go down in history as one of the most successful television shows ever. A true original, Idol started it all. Onto what’s next,” he said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.
Music is in his blood. He has shared before that he began playing bass guitar when he was just 13. He’d even sneak out of his childhood home to play at local clubs. According to Biography.com, Randy studied music at Southern University. He even penned a book in 2004 titled What’s Up Dawg? How to Become a Superstar in the Music Business and a couple of books about improving one’s health after he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and embarked upon a weight-loss journey. In 2008, he co-produced and developed America’s Best Dance Crew.
