THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 20, 1996 TAG: 9609200615
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF AND WIRE REPORT
LENGTH: 35 lines
Comedian and actor Martin Lawrence is splitting from his wife, Patricia Southall of Chesapeake, a former Miss Virginia-USA.
The star of the Fox comedy ``Martin'' filed for divorce Tuesday from the former beauty queen, citing ``irreconcilable differences.''
The pair, married about 20 months, wed at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott Hotel on Jan. 7, 1995. The wedding attracted 600 guests and about 500 gawkers.
In April, Lawrence said of his wedding day: ``The amazing thing to me was when I looked out the window of the hotel and saw all those people in the street. I don't know where they came from. One thing is sure, I am definitely married.''
As recently as this spring, Lawrence said that marriage was maturing him somewhat and that all was well with the newlyweds.
Southall and Lawrence met in 1992 at one of his concerts.
In his petition, Lawrence demands that Southall abide by the prenuptial agreement she signed.
He wants custody of their 8-month-old daughter, Jasmine. But USA Today says that, in court papers, he says he doesn't know where the child is.
The pending divorce is the latest chapter in the fortunes of Lawrence, who directed the movie ``A Thin Line Between Love and Hate.''
In July, he was jailed after he tried to carry a loaded gun onto a plane at the Burbank, Calif., airport. In May, police found him yelling and cursing in the middle of an intersection in Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Doctors said Lawrence had forgotten to take his medication, but later his representatives vehemently denied any drugs were involved. MEMO: Knight-Ridder News Service contributed to this report. by CNB