In an “Email from Al and Tipper Gore,” the couple said: “We are announcing today that after a great deal of thought and discussion, we have decided to separate.

“This is very much a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together following a process of long and careful consideration. We ask for respect for our privacy and that of our family, and we do not intend to comment further.”…

The Gores both grew up in the Washington area. They met at a high-school graduation dance and were married at the National Cathedral on May 19, 1970, according to Tipper Gore’s White House biography.