By Michael Ventura
DNAinfo Senior Editor
MANHATTAN — Al Gore, the former vice president and Columbia Journalism School professor, is splitting up with his wife, Tipper Gore.
The couple had been together for 40 years of marriage. They announced the breakup in an e-mail to supporters.
“We are announcing today that after a great deal of thought and discussion, we have decided to separate," the e-mail read, Politico reported. “This is very much a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together following a process of long and careful consideration. We ask for respect for our privacy and that of our family, and we do not intend to comment further.”
The Gores live in Tennessee, but Al Gore is a frequent visitor to Manhattan. Al Gore came to Columbia shortly after he lost the 2000 presidential election. More recently, he was on hand last month for the opening of the Bank of America Tower at Bryant Park.
Most Manhattanites will remember when the couple's relationship took center stage during the 2000 Democratic National Convention, when Al Gore planted a big smooch on his wife that became the talk of the event, and one of the indelible images of the couple.
