Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston separate

The announcement of their split followed months of tabloid stories about spousal ups and downs, including reports that Pitt, 41, wanted to become a father but Aniston, 35, was reluctant to start a family.

Aniston had been photographed recently without her wedding ring, but just two days ago the New York Post splashed a picture of the couple on its front page with a circle around Aniston's hand and the headline: "The Ring's Back On!"

Pitt, one of Hollywood's most sought-after leading men, and Aniston, who became a household name on the long-running NBC television comedy Friends, met on a dinner date in 1998.

Pitt, currently starring in the crime caper Ocean's Twelve, and Aniston, best known for her TV role as Rachel Green in Friends, also are partners in film production company, Plan B, whose first movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is due out later this year from Warner Bros.