Ben Folds and Emma Sandall have finalized their divorce.
According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Folds, 57, filed for divorce from Sandall in December 2023, citing irreconcilable differences.
The former couple’s six-year marriage began with a ceremony in Hawaii on January 20, 2017. Folds listed the date of their separation as November 20, 2023. PEOPLE has reached out to Folds’ reps for comment.
Court documents show the divorce was finalized on February 27, 2024, and Folds was ordered to pay Sandall $475,000 for any interest he has in their Nashville home.
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Ben Folds and Emma Sandall.
Tiffany Sage/BFA
The documents state: “Immediately upon receipt of the mentioned funds from the husband, the wife will take the necessary steps to execute the quitclaim deed by which the husband renounces all rights, ownership and interest in the matrimonial home.”
Folds was ordered to pay Sandall $650,000 in monthly payments of $27,083.33 over 24 months and her car insurance for 12 months.
The musician will also pay Sandall $50,000 for furniture, sign over ownership of the 2016 Honda CR-V that was initially in his name and give her A$210,000 from a National Australia Bank account. Sandall was Folds’ fifth wife.
Frontman Ben Folds Five described his previous marriages in an article for Sydney Herald in September 2012.
His first marriage was to his “oldest friend”, Anna Goodman, whom he described as his musical inspiration.
“Anna and I felt pressured to do something with our lives. Getting married was something you had to do. My mom was barely 20 when she gave birth to me – but that’s what you did,” Folds wrote. The two were married from 1987 to 1992.
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Ben Folds Five performing at the Manchester Apollo in November 2012.
Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage
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“We had different ideas about how to live as a couple and do our jobs. No one ever explained those differences and how to find balance. When we split up, we both found much more success in our lives,” she continued. Folds.
The artist said he was a “hopeless romantic” when talking about his second marriage to Kate Rosen in 1996. He married Frally Hynes in 1999, with whom he had twins Gracie and Louie.
“I was living in Adelaide at the time and traveling to the US to play to earn money for the family. It was a heavy burden, but we were blessed with twins,” Folds recalled.
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Ben Folds.
Paul Morigi/WireImage
“I had just made my first solo album and I was flying back and forth from the US. I would be up all night burping one kid while the other was just waking up,” he continued. “I was constantly tired. I cut everything I could out of my schedule. I learned you can’t make everyone happy all the time.”
The two divorced in 2006, and Folds married Fleur Stanbrook a year later. They were together from 2007 to 2011.
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“I’ve always jumped into situations too quickly, thinking it was the right thing to do. I’m careless, which has helped with my music, but taking risks in my personal life has not been up to par,” Folds wrote at the end of his article.
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Source: HIS Education