If Black Coffee wants to win back the love of his adoring fans and the South African public, he's going about it the wrong way.
The internationally-acclaimed music producer and DJ has found himself the target of online trolls of late. This after his estranged wife Enhle Mbali let the cat out of the bag by confirming to media outlets that indeed the couple are parting ways after eight years together.
Amid rumours of infidelity, the "Drive" producer then admitted to City Press that he tried everything to save his marriage, but since they couldn't see eye-to-eye he suggested in an email that they should go their separate ways.
"In April this year, I sent a lengthy email to her in which I suggested that we should separate and she should find a place to stay with the kids and I would pay for it. I did that because I wanted us to improve our marriage and to be more involved with them. But she declined the offer", he commented.
Chances are as things progress, more truths will be revealed. But if there's one thing that this whole saga has taught us, it's that nothing is sacred when living your life under a microscopic spotlight.
And as for Black Coffee, many questioned the way he called time on his marriage to Mbali by simply hitting "send" on an email. But here's the thing - he's not the first person in history to break up with someone in such an impersonal manner - and he won't be the last.
There have been others who have done a lot worse.
Britney Spears and Kevin Federline
Look, we knew these two weren't going to go the distance after marrying three months after they met. But the manner in which Spears dealt the final blow was harsh. Federline claimed he was blindsided by the divorce and didn’t see it coming.
Kevin Federline and Britney Spears during their marriage. Picture: Bang Showbiz
She "went behind my back and filed [for divorce]. [I was] completely blindsided," he told People. Apparently, Spears asked for a divorce via text message. She appeared on the 'Late Show With David Letterman' and went straight to Sony Studios where she faxed her signature to her lawyers and the next day divorce papers were filed. Once the press found it, they started calling him "Fed-Ex."
Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise
When Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise appeared in 'Days of Thunder' together, their on-screen chemistry was hard to deny. But after 11 years of marriage, Cruise suddenly called an abrupt end to their union.
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman arrive for the 69th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Picture: AP
Kidman never truly knew why Cruise divorced her, and he he told reporters at the time: "Nicole knows why." Even to this day, the Australian actress is uncertain of what she did wrong and admitted she was "damaged" after the marriage ended.
Russell Brand and Katy Perry
During a 2013 interview with Vogue, Perry said that she first heard of Brand's plans to divorce her via text message. “He’s a very smart man, and I was in love with him when I married him,” Perry said. “Let’s just say I haven’t heard from him since he texted me saying he was divorcing me December 31, 2011.”
The two married in October 2010, after meeting at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Though Brand was the one to file for divorce, she admitted that the British comic’s sense of humour was losing its charm on her before then.
British actor and comedian Russell Brand broke up with singer Katy Perry via a text message. Picture: Reuters
The penny dropped when she went to one of his stand-up shows to surprise him. “[He’s] hysterical in some ways. Until he started making jokes about me and he didn’t know I was in the audience, because I had come to surprise him at one of his shows,” she added.