Captain and Tennille call it quits

They said love would keep them together, but it looks like it will take more than that to save the marriage of Captain and Tennille. Captain and Tennille pop duo sensation of the 1970’s have announced they are getting divorce after almost thirty nine year of marriage, according to an Arizona court clerk. The Grammy Award winning husband and wife team were known for a variety of 1970’s hits, most famously their 1975 hit “Love Will Keep Us Together.”

Divorce papers were filed January 16, 2014, in a Prescott, Arizona, court house for the couple, Daryl Dragon, 71, and Cathryn Antoinette “Toni” Tennille, 73. Reports indicate that the Captain, 71-year-old Daryl Dragon may have been blindsided, although they remain in the same house. According to TMZ, the Captain released a short statement, “I don’t know why she filed. I gotta figure it out for myself first.”

There have been rumors that Daryl Dragon may be suffering from Parkinson’s disease and may have tremors which are so bad he is hesitant to go out in public. Some speculate health insurance and the ability for him to get adequate coverage may have played a role in the divorce, although  this information has not been confirmed.

Who are Captain and Tennille?

Fans were shocked by the announcement that Captain and Tennille were divorcing. Many of them had grown up listening to music by Captain and Tennille, which included hits during the 1970s and early 1980s. Top billboard hits included “Love Will Keep Us Together” and “Muskrat Love” among many others.

Captain and Tennille has been one of the longest-living celebrity marriages. They met in 1972 when Tennille was the co-writer of a musical and Dragon was the keyboardist for The Beach Boys. They recently celebrated their 35^th wedding anniversary in 2010. The couple performed together and were later discovered by Neil Sedaka, who helped them release their first album together in 1974.

Captain and Tennille later married in 1975 and had their first chart topper later that year with the song “Love Will Keep Us Together.” Captain and Tennille went on to sell an additional 23 million records over the next ten to fifteen years. They also found television fame on the variety TV series, “The Captain and Tennille Show.” The hit show ran from September 1976 to March 1977 on ABC where The Captain always donned his captain’s hat.

Other hit records followed in the late 1970’s for Captain and Tennille including “Lonely Night (Angel Face),” “Muskrat Love” and a cover of Smokey Robinson’s “Shop Around.” Their last hit to reach number one on the pop charts was in 1979 and was titled “Do That to Me One More Time.”

Most people who know Captain and Tennille described their relationship as “rock-solid.” They never had any children together.