This story breaks my heart. Not the part about Bill Murray getting divorced, that’s to be expected, it’s Hollywood. But all the other things Bill’s estranged wife Jennifer Butler says about him in court documents really seems incredibly out of character.

According to the Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C. Murray’s wife of ten years (the couple were married in 1997) filed for divorce claiming extramarital affairs, illicit drug use and physical abuse as her reason. Here’s more from the P & C:

According to the complaint, Jennifer Murray moved into a Sullivan’s Island home in 2006 with the couple’s four children due to her husband’s “adultery, addiction to marijuana and alcohol, abusive behavior, physical abuse, sexual addictions and frequent abandonment.”

Jennifer Murray purchased the Sullivan’s Island beach house in 2006 for $3.65 million, according to county property records.

It was at the Sullivan’s Island home, according to the complaint, that Murray allegedly abused his wife in November 2007. The six-page court filing says Murray “hit his wife in the face and then told her she was ‘lucky he didn’t kill her.’ ”

The complaint alleges that Murray physically abused his wife on more than one occasion during the marriage.

So WOW, that sure doesn’t sound like the man whom I’ve been in pretend love with for the last 20 odd years. Stripes is my all-time favorite movie (just ask anyone) and then there was Ghostbusters, Groundhog’s Day, Rushmore and of course, Lost In Translation. I didn’t even mention the years of joy he brought during his time on SNL or the classic Caddyshack, or Scrooged, and the often forgotten but great, Meatballs, but still, ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you, that crazy Dawn’s favorite actor is Bill Murray.

Ok, I accept the alcohol and marijuana use. Bill was famously pulled over in Sweden for allegedly driving a golf cart while drunk, and he was also arrested many moons ago for marijuana possession at Chicago’s O’Hare airport (during college), I can even accept he had dalliances outside of his marriage. He’s famous, charming, funny, and chicks tend to go for that sort of thing. I don’t encourage it, I frown on it, it makes me sad, but hey, I can accept that a famous actor does this sort of thing.

BUT HIT HIS WIFE? That seems so outrageously uncharacteristic of Bill Murray I have a hard time believing this was routine behavior. I have seen relationships turn ugly, especially poorly matched ones. People push each other’s buttons and so on, and since I’ve never heard another word about him abusing any other woman, his children or anyone for that matter, I have to assume it was a serious outburst of extreme behavior. I don’t excuse it or condone it, but I refuse to accept this is some kind of inherent quality to his personality.

Murray is notoriously anti-Hollywood and makes a point of avoiding all the trappings of that life. With six children to be responsible for (two from his first marriage) and four from his marriage to Jennifer, I hope Bill is able to piece his life back together and get himself back on track.

I can often be heard quoting this line. Why yes, I am doofus: