Meg Ryan Confirms Engagement to John Mellencamp

Meg Ryan and John Mellencamp are engaged, and the 56-year-old actress confirmed the news on her Instagram account on Thursday.

“ENGAGED!” Ryan captioned an image of a hand-drawn photo of herself and her singer fiance.

Confirmation of their engagement follows photos that surfaced earlier in the day of the Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally actress in New York City Wednesday wearing what appeared to be an engagement ring on her left ring finger as she headed to the salon.

Ryan and the “Jack & Diane” singer-songwriter initially began dating in 2011, with PEOPLE having confirmed at the time that they were “quietly dating” in January 2011 following Mellencamp’s split from Elaine Irwin, who he had been married to for 18 years. The couple had been spotted at Martha’s Vineyard and New York City in the months that followed.

In 2014, their relationship took a turn for the worse when they decided to part ways, with a source close to the couple stating that the split was a result of long distance.

“It was the distance,” the source said. “She lives in New York and he resides in Indiana. It was the long distance that ultimately was the cause.”

Prior to their split, Mellencamp had expressed his unhappiness at calling New York City home.

“I’m too sensitive to live there,” he told Rolling Stone that December, PEOPLE reported at the time. “I can’t see poor people. I can’t see the suffering. I can’t see the trash on the streets.” When it comes to paparazzi attention, he added, “I don’t like it for [Ryan]. I’m not leaving Indiana. I’m going to die here.”

In June of 2017, they seemed to have rekindled their relationship, with the pair being photographed together at the Art Cliff Diner in Martha’s Vineyard. Just one month later, a source confirmed that they were dating, telling the outlet that “they have a bond.”

Earlier this year they had sparked marriage rumors after they were spotted around Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, where Mellencamp owns a home, planning for an event. At the time, some believed they were planning a wedding, though a representative for Ryan soon denied the rumors.

This will be Ryan’s second marriage. She was previously married to actor Dennis Quaid, who she shares a son with, though they finalized their divorce in 2001. She had also previously been linked to Russell Crowe.

The marriage will be Mellencamp’s fourth, as he was married to Priscilla Esterline from 1970 to 1981, Victoria Granucci, who he divorced in 1989, and model Elaine Irwin, who he married in 1992 and divorced in 2010. He shares five children from his previous marriages.

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