Morgan Freeman divorces his wife

Morgan Freeman's lawyer says the actor and his wife of 24 years are getting a divorce.

Photo: Morgan Freeman divorces his wife

Freeman's lawyer, Bill Luckett, told the Memphis Commercial-Appeal newspaper that the divorce action is impending. Freeman's wife is Myrna Colley-Lee.

The lawyer declined to provide details. There was no answer early Thursday at phone numbers for Luckett or for Freeman's publicist.

The 71-year-old actor is recovering in a Memphis hospital after a car crash in neighboring Mississippi on Sunday left him with a broken arm, broken elbow and shoulder damage.

Freeman was married to Jeanette Adair Bradshaw from October 22, 1967, until 1979. He has been married to Myrna Colley-Lee since June 16, 1984. He has two sons, Alfonso and Saifoulaye, from previous relationships. He adopted his first wife's daughter, Deena, and the couple also had a fourth child, Morgana. Freeman lives in Charleston, Mississippi, and New York City. He has a private pilot's license, which he earned at age 65, and co-owns and operates Madidi, a fine dining restaurant, and Ground Zero, a blues club, both located in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He officially opened his second club Ground Zero in Memphis, Tennessee on April 24, 2008. His pilot’s license was suspended in 2004 for 45 days for failing to maintain altitude on approach.

Freeman has publicly criticized the celebration of Black History Month and does not participate in any related events, saying, "I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history."He says the only way to end racism is to stop talking about it, and he notes that there is no "white history month". Freeman once said on an interview with 60 Minutes' Mike Wallace: "I am going to stop calling you a white man and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man." Freeman supported the defeated proposal to change the Mississippi state flag, which echoes the Confederate "Stars and Bars" flag.

On October 28, 2006, Freeman was honored at the first Mississippi's Best Awards in Jackson, Mississippi, with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his works on and off the big screen. He received an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts and Letters from Delta State University during the school's commencement exercises on May 13, 2006.

In 2008 Freeman's family history was profiled on the PBS series African American Lives 2. A DNA test showed that he is descended from the Songhai and Tuareg peoples of Niger.

Morgan Freeman also has worked on narrating small clips for global organizations, such as One Earth, whose goal includes raising awareness of environmental issues,. He has narrated the clip "Why Are We Here", which can be viewed for free under One Earth's website.

Freeman has endorsed Barack Obama's candidacy for the United States presidential election, 2008, although he has stated that he will not be joining Obama's campaign.

Freeman has donated money to the Mississippi Horse Park in Starkville, Mississippi. The Horse park is part of Mississippi State University. Freeman has several horses that he takes there.