The 32-year-old singer and Rene Elizondo Jr.have separated, according to a statement released Friday by the pop diva's publicist, Lindsay Scott Management.

The couple, who had a ``personal relationship'' for 13 years, planned to continue their friendship, the statement said.

Ms. Jackson, the youngest daughter of the celebrated musical family, was married to singer James DeBarge for about a year when she was in her late teens.

Shortly after her divorce, she and Elizondo began dating.