The White Stripes announce split

The White Stripes have split up.

The 'Seven Nation Army' hitmakers - made up of Jack White and his ex-wife Meg - have called time on their musical partnership due to a "myriad of reasons", but claim they have not experienced "artistic differences".

A statement on the band's official website read: "The White Stripes would like to announce that today, February 2 2011, their band has officially ended and will make no further new recordings or perform live.

"It is for a myriad of reasons, but mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way."

The duo - who have won three Grammy awards for their last three studio albums 'Get Behind Me Satan', 'St.Elsewhere' and 'Icky Thump' - also announced plans to continue to release live recordings through Jack's label Third Man Records, while thanking fans for their support over the years.

The statement continued: "Third Man Records will continue to put out unreleased live and studio recordings from The White Stripes in their Vault subscription record club, as well as through regular channels. Both Meg and Jack hope this decision isn't met with sorrow by their fans but that it is seen as a positive move done out of respect for the art and music that the band has created.

"The White Stripes do not belong to Meg and Jack anymore. The White Stripes belong to you now and you can do with it whatever you want. The beauty of art and music is that it can last forever if people want it to. Thank you for sharing this experience."

The split comes after the group were forced to cancel a string of tour dates in 2007 due to Meg's anxiety issues, with the pair remaining largely inactive since then.