Billionaire philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates announced Monday that they are ending their marriage after 27 years.

Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, announced the news on Twitter, sharing a statement from the couple which said, "after a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage."

"Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives," the statement continued. "We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue to work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives."

The couple, two prominent figures in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, the world's largest private charitable foundation, which funds health research, education and initiatives to fight poverty.

According to Forbes, Bill Gates has an estimated net worth of $130 billion, making him one of the richest people in the world.

The couple met at Microsoft, and were married in Hawaii in 1994. They have three children together.

Bill Gates stepped down from Microsoft’s board last year to focus on philanthropy. He served as CEO of the tech giant until 2000 and as chairman of the board until 2014. 

Gates has donated about $35.8 billion of Microsoft stock to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to date, according to Forbes. He reportedly owns slightly more than 1% of the company.

The foundation said in May 2020 that it would give over $300 million to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is a developing story. Check back later for further updates.