Darius Rucker Engaged to Emily Deahl

Darius Rucker announced on Instagram Wednesday that he is engaged to Emily Deahl, posting photos of a kneeled proposal and a second image showing Deahl wearing a large engagement ring. The announcement, shared on both of their accounts, came more than a month after the couple publicly confirmed their relationship in early September.

"Thank you for showing me a level of happiness I have never known," Rucker wrote in the caption accompanying the photos. "The day I met you I knew I didn't want to go another one without you. Now I don't have to." Deahl, 33, posted the images to her Instagram story and wrote that she had kept the relationship private to protect it. "I never intended on keeping this part of my life from you guys for so long, but somewhere along the way of loving him I discovered how sacred love is to me," she wrote. "And all I wanted to do was protect it. But damn I'm glad I don't have to spend the time photoshopping him out of every photo now."

Rucker, 59, rose to prominence as the lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish and later established a solo career in country music. He was married to Beth Leonard from 2000 until their separation in 2020; the former couple...