His babies! In addition to being a Grammy-winning musician, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds is a proud father of three.
He sang about the blessings of fatherhood in his 1996 song “The Day (That You Gave Me a Son).”
“’Twas late December the news came / And I got so excited, I cried all day, yes / And you were such a lovely, precious sight / When I saw our baby in your eyes,” the heartfelt lyrics read.
The R&B songwriter welcomed his first child, son Brandon, in 1995 with his first wife, Tracey Edmonds (née McQuarn). The duo also share son Dylan, born in 1998.
Babyface met the California native in 1990 when she auditioned for his “Whip Appeal” music video. They tied the knot in September 1992 and were married for 13 years before they announced their split in October 2005.
The Playlist musician revealed that he didn’t think he and the businesswoman were built to last during a November 2013 interview.
“The reality is that there was a connection that wasn’t really there,” he explained. “We loved each other but we weren’t really in love with each other. It was more the idea of it falling apart and me holding onto the image of what I thought we were. … I don’t feel like we were supposed to be together forever. I’m okay with it because I think she’s okay.”
Tracey, for her part, went on to marry Eddie Murphy in January 2008 — a union that lasted less than three weeks. The pair released a joint statement at the time noting that they had decided to “forego having a legal ceremony” after exchanging vows in Bora Bora. The former Extra host later began dating football coach Deion Sanders.
Babyface said that he approved of Sanders during his sit-down.
“Deion’s a good guy. Deion did one thing for me, which I thought was the classiest thing in the world,” the Girls Night Out musician recalled in November 2013. “When he called me and said he didn’t want to meet my children until he sat down with me, so he wanted to know me before he met my children, I was in. Tracey is family, so I wanna make sure she’s good.”
After his divorce from Tracey, the record producer moved on with backup dancer Nicole Pantenburg, whom he began dating in 2007. The twosome welcomed daughter Peyton the following year and tied the knot in May 2014. After seven years as husband and wife, Babyface and Pantenburg announced their split in July 2021.
The former couple released a joint statement at the time, noting that they would “continue to care and have respect for one another and share eternal love for our daughter and her well-being.”
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The exes finalized their divorce in February 2023, agreeing to joint custody of Peyton.
Scroll through for a guide to Babyface’s family life over the years:
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