Bye, Bye, Mr. ‘American Pie’

"American Pie" singer and songwriter Don McLean's wife, Patrisha McLean, filed for divorce in Maine yesterday, citing "adultery, cruel and abusive treatment, and irreconcilable differences" as reasons to end the 30-year marriage. The filing comes just weeks after Don was arrested in January on domestic violence assault charges, to which he pleaded not guilty.

Don, 70, posted his response to the filing today on his Twitter account: “My wife has chosen divorce. She has chosen to characterize our 30 year relationship in a completely distorted and untrue manner. We raised two gentle highly educated children in an environment of laughter, music and literature. I suggest anyone interested view the movie ‘Don McLean: American Troubadour’ to get an idea of our life.”

Following the alleged assault incident, Patrisha told Knox County Court in a statement that her husband had "terrorized" her for hours leading up to his arrest. Her statement said Don "pressed the palms of his hands against my temples and squeezed as though my head were in a vice.”

“My husband has a violent temper. For the first 10 years or so, his rage was unfathomably deep and very scary." The statement also alleged that Don had been physical with her throughout their marriage, and that McLean had said he wanted to kill her and recently threatened her with a gun. She was granted a protection order.

Following the protection order, Don tweeted these messages: “This last year and especially now have been hard emotional times for my wife my children and me. What is occurring is the very painful breakdown of an almost 30 year relationship... Our hearts are broken and we must carry on. There are no winners or losers but I am not a villain.”

Don’s attorney, Michael Asen, told ET today: "Don is deeply saddened by the divorce and still cares deeply for his wife. He does not want this divorce, and certainly does not want to end this marriage of close to 30 years in a public fight with his wife. He was hopeful the parties could work through their differences with dignity and asks that people respect the privacy his entire family deserves." The couple share two children, Jackie and Wyatt.