Arlo Guthrie's wife dead at 68

SEBASTIAN, Fla., Oct. 16 (UPI) -- Folk music icon Arlo Guthrie says his wife, Jackie, has died at their Florida home after a battle with liver cancer. She was 68.

"There are loves, and there are LOVES," Guthrie wrote on his website Monday. "Ours was and will continue to be what it has always been -- a very great love. We didn't always like each other. From time to time there were moments when we'd have our bags packed by the door. But, there was this great love that we shared from the moment we met -- a recognition -- It's YOU! And we would always return to it year after year, decade after decade and I believe life after lifetime."

Guthrie said he has canceled or postponed several shows to grieve for his wife, who died Sunday. The couple were married 43 years.

"I will make [the shows] up as soon as possible. The tour will begin with the gigs scheduled for Canada, and I will move ahead through the rest of whatever happens next," he wrote.