Beyonce’s Mom Tina Knowles Files for Divorce From Husband Richard Lawson

Tina Knowles and Richard Lawson are calling it quits. Knowles, the mother of Beyoncé and Solange, filed for divorce on Wednesday in Los Angeles with her date of separation listed as Tuesday, according to court documents obtained by TMZ. The fashion designer cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split and asked the court to terminate both her and Lawson’s ability to award spousal support to either party. She also requested that her name be restored to Celestine Knowles rather than Celestine Lawson.

Knowles, 69, and Lawson, 76, tied the knot in Newport, California onboard a 140-foot yacht in 2015. Knowles’ two daughters, as well as Beyoncé’s husband, Jay-Z, and their eldest daughter, Blue Ivy, were also in attendance. While the pair began dating in 2013, Lawson revealed in an Instagram post on their wedding anniversary in 2021 that their love story began 39 years earlier when they first met after they were introduced by Lawson’s sister.

“I thought you were one of the most beautiful women I had ever met. Breathtaking.!!” he wrote. “The thing that was so striking was that your beauty continued to be enhanced by your incredible heart, compassion, empathy, generosity, and philanthropy. You were pregnant with Beyonce at the time, and married, so my incredible attraction for you then, could only live in my fantasy. As we remained friends throughout the years, I took great pleasure in observing you become the ultimate mother, especially for your own daughters, but also for the way you care for and nurture women all over the world.”

Lawson added that it “took 32 years for my attraction for you to come full circle. It was well worth the wait.” He called Knowles “a revolutionary, visionary, incredible artist, a fashion icon, a leader, a cultural beacon, a hot sexy ratchet God warrior and only second to God, You are my wife. How highly favored Am I???”

Her marriage to Lawson marked Knowles’ second marriage. She was previously married to Mathew Knowles. The former couple, who welcomed daughters Beyoncé and Solange together, married in 1980 and split in 2009 after more than three decades together. They finalized their divorce in 2011. Lawson, meanwhile, was married to Denise Gordy from 1978 to 1989. The former couple share daughter Bianca Lawson. Lawson is also dad to Ricky Lawson from another relationship.