Peter Walzer, a family lawyer in Los Angeles, says the Gates were widely admired, making the news of their split even more devastating.
"They've been involved in all the hot issues. They donated almost $1.8 billion to COVID research. They're very big in the climate change world and in curing AIDS. They've made a generous commitment to giving away their wealth for the common good," he says. "So people often saw these two as angels, and how could angels get divorced?"
Their divorce shattered their image of perfection.
"In reality, they were great people and great role models, but of course they're human like all of us."