Angelina Jolie files for divorce from Brad Pitt

LOS ANGELES — Angelina Jolie has filed for divorce from Brad Pitt and is seeking custody of their six children, TMZ reported on Tuesday (Sept 20), spelling the end for "Brangelina", one of Hollywood's highest-profile celebrity couples.

According to the entertainment news site, the 41-year-old Jolie filed legal documents on Monday citing irreconcilable differences with Pitt, 52, listing their date of separation as Sept 15.

An attorney for Jolie later confirmed that the news.

"This decision was made for the health of the family. She will not be commenting, and asks that the family be given its privacy at this time," attorney Robert Offer said in a statement cited by Reuters

Two of the world's biggest stars, Jolie and Pitt formed a Hollywood power couple second to none, so famous they were known simply by their combined first names. The couple have been together since 2004 and were married on Aug 14, 2014. They have six children together, three of whom are adopted.

Jolie is seeking physical custody of the children, with visiting rights for Pitt, according to TMZ, which said she was not seeking spousal support. TMZ, citing a legal filing, also reported that Jolie "was extremely upset" by Pitt's parenting methods.

Jolie is claiming jewelry and other personal items as well as earnings from and after the date of separation.

Pitt released a statement confirming the news and asked for privacy for his children.

"I am very saddened by this, but what matters most now is the wellbeing of our kids. I kindly ask the press to give them the space they deserve during this challenging time," Pitt said in a statement to People.

Jolie and Pitt recently co-starred in the film By the Sea, which opened the AFI Film Festival in 2015. Jolie wrote and directed the film about a couple trying to repair their marriage.

Pitt came into the public eye 25 years ago with a much-talked-about shirtless debut as eye-candy in the hit movie Thelma and Louise — and went on to become a household name in Hollywood.

A two-time Oscar nominee for his acting, Pitt took home a golden statuette as producer for best picture 12 Years A Slave. Pitt recently starred in the 2015 film The Big Short which he also helped produce. Pitt's upcoming projects include the the Robert Zemeckis film Allied co-starring Marion Cotillard, a satire about the war in Afghanistan called War Machine and a sequel to World War Z.

Jolie catapulted to stardom with her role in 1999's Girl, Interrupted, taking home an Academy Award for best supporting actress for her fierce portrayal of a rebellious woman in a mental institution. Jolie's recent acting credits include Kung Fu Panda 3 and Maleficent. She also directed the film Unbroken in 2014. Netflix will premiere the true-life Khmer Rouge drama she directed, First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers, later this year. 

The red carpet darling is now better known for her humanitarian work than for her tabloid-ready actions, having served for several years as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

She is also one of the world's most visible symbols in the battle against cancer, having undergone a double mastectomy and removal of her ovaries and fallopian tubes to prevent an aggressive form of the disease that killed her mother, grandmother and aunt.

Jolie had been married twice before, to actors Jonny Lee Miller and Billy Bob Thornton.

Pitt was previously married to Friends star Jennifer Aniston. AGENCIES