Terry Fator and wife-stage partner to divorce
Mirage headliner Terry Fator and his wife and stage assistant, Taylor Makakoa, have announced they are getting divorced.
“(F)ollowing a trial separation, we are ending our marriage. It’s a mutual decision and things are going to remain the same at the show — Taylor will continue to be in the show and will maintain her role as president of the company,” the two announced in a statement.
“We are the best of friends who love and respect each other, but life sometimes goes in a different direction. We hope the public can respect the friendship we have as we deal with this difficult decision as a family.”
The ventriloquist married Hawaiian model Makakoa in Las Vegas in 2010, when he was 45 and she was 22. They met at an audition for his Las Vegas show after he won “America’s Got Talent” in the fall of 2007. He moved to Las Vegas and headlined a year at the Las Vegas Hilton before landing The Mirage residency that launched in early 2009.
Fator and his first wife, Melinda, divorced after The Mirage residency was announced. In time, Makakoa has become more prominent in advertising and other marketing for the show, and her role onstage expanded.
Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.
