The White Stripes calls it quits

Legendary for their eccentric bluesy music and mysterious relationship history, Jack and Meg White have put an end to their band The White Stripes. On Feb. 2, they posted a letter on their website announcing they would no longer be recording or performing live.

The reasons for the break up were not specifically addressed, but the letter said it was “mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way.”

After Jack married Meg and took her last name as his own in 1996, the duo emerged as The White Stripes in 1997. When interviewed during the early stages of their band, they were very quiet about their private life. They tried to convince people that they were siblings instead of a couple to keep the spotlight solely on their music.

Although they divorced in 2000, The White Stripes continued on strong, releasing four albums, White Blood Cells (2001), Elephant (2003), Get Behind Me Satan (2005) and Icky Thump (2007) . To this day, “Seven Nation Army” remains their most successful song.

In 2007, the pair took a break from touring and recording due to Meg’s anxiety issues. Jack took that time to work on side projects, including his bands The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather.

Seeing that they have been on such a lengthy break, their break up is no surprise.

Leaving their fans on a positive note, they concluded their letter by saying “The White Stripes belong to you now and you can do with it whatever you want. The beauty of art and music is that it can last forever if people want it to.”