The pair confirmed the news via a statement issued by the band's representative at Matador Records, which read: "Musicians Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore, married in 1984, are announcing they have separated. Sonic Youth, with both Kim and Thurston involved, will proceed with its South American tour dates in November. Plans beyond that tour are uncertain. The couple has requested respect for their personal privacy and does not wish to issue further comment."

Moore and Gordon have a daughter together, Coco, born in 1994, and reside in Western Massachusetts. They have been playing music together since 1980 when they first formed Sonic Youth in New York City with guitarist Lee Ranaldo and later drummer Steve Shelley. Originally signed to famed label SST in the 1980s, they joined the Geffen Records roster in 1990 with the album Goo. The band would see eight more releases under the Universal Music banner, their most commercially successful effort, 1994's Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star, peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard 200 chart.

In 2009, the pioneering noise rock outfit returned to its indie roots by signing with Matador Records and releasing their 16th album, The Eternal. The band is currently touring in South America. Moore's latest solo album, Demolished Thoughts, was released in May, and he is scheduled to head out on a European tour on Nov. 27.

In 2008, Moore told Spin Magazine, "I can't think of how or where I'd be without Kim's influence. And we're like any couple that's been together for close to 30 years. There's a genuine psychophysical connection. Sometimes I feel things happening in me, and I know that something's going on with her. When you're married and you have that kind of connection, you become really spiritually, psychologically connected. We grew up together, in a way."