Eric Benet

R&B singer Eric Benet, the former husband of Oscar winning actress Halle Berry, has released a statement via People magazine offering words of encouragement to his ex and her mate regarding the announcement of her pregnancy. "I wish Halle and her partner a healthy baby and all the happiness in the world," singer Benét, 40, said in a statement released by his manager, Lynne Malone, Thursday. The Oscar-winning actress, 41, announced she was three months pregnant on Tuesday. Father-to-be is boyfriend Gabriel Aubry, a 32-year-old model she met during a Versace ad shoot in Los Angeles in November 2005. Benét and Berry wed in January 2001, but had a roller-coaster romance soured by his self-confessed philandering (sex addict). The couple separated in October and six months later the split was official. In 1994, Benét signed with Warner Bros. Records, releasing his solo debut album, True to Myself, in fall (1996). His next album, A Day in the Life, was released in 1999; its first single, "Georgy Porgy (featuring Faith Evans)" received significant airplay, but the second single, "Spend My Life With You (featuring Tamia)", became a smash hit. "Spend My Life With You" rose to number one on the American R&B charts, was certified gold, and nominated for a 2000 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group. The album, A Day In The Life also won a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Album, Male.