Leaving Lavigne behind! Almost four years after his divorce from pop rocker Avril Lavigne was finalized, Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley has finally been granted an official name change to drop his ex-wife’s last name, TMZ reports.
Whibley, 34, took the name Deryck Lavigne Whibley after his 2006 marriage to the “Hello Kitty” singer, 29. He filed legal documents in November to drop the “Lavigne”—and switching his name back isn’t the only change in the rocker’s life.
After landing in the hospital due to years of excessive alcohol consumption, Whibley has been working hard to reach a full recovery. On his website, the musician posted an update on his condition on June 6, writing, “My days are quite full, but I work on getting better every day. I have doctor check ups often, and I’ve had so many needle pricks in the past few months, that all the veins in my arms are dead. I do a lot of physical therapy because my legs have gotten very numb from my kneads down. I’m only now starting to be able to get up and walk on my own, but it’s still very painful.”
Since their divorce, Lavigne married Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger, and Whibley is engaged to fiancee Ariana Cooper. See more friendly celebrity exes here.
Following her ex-husband’s hospitalization, Lavigne took to Twitter to express her support, writing, “Spoke to @Sum41 Deryck today. I am so proud of him. He is family to me and always will be. #StayStrongDeryck.”
