"Yeah!" singer cancels his wedding with Foster

Hours before the wedding was to take place, actor and R&B singer Usher and his pregnant fiancée Tameka Foster have changed their minds to tie the knot. While the Grammy winner did not give reason behind the refusal, his publicist in a last-minute statement confirmed that wedding bells would not be ringing.

"It was announced today that the wedding ceremony for Usher Raymond, IV and Tameka Foster was canceled," said publicist Patti Webster. "No additional information will be given regarding the circumstances of the cancellation, but we hope the privacy of this matter will be respected."

Foster, 37, and Usher, 28, were due to wed at music mogul Antonio “LA” Reid’s Hamptons estate in New York on Saturday (July 28). Between 70 and 100 guests were expected to attend the ceremony. A fellow R&B crooner Robin Thicke was reportedly scheduled to perform at the reception.

Last month, the multiplatinum singer announced that he and his longtime girlfriend are expecting a baby in the fall of 2007. "We are extremely excited at this point in our lives planning our wedding and the joy that comes with expecting our first child together," the couple said at the time.

Some media reports emerged saying that the nuptials canceled mainly due to the disapproval of Groom’s mother over their marriage. An unnamed source was cited by the People magazine, saying the disagreement of Usher's mother, Jonetta Patton, over pair’s marriage was one of the main “obstacles” in the ceremony.

Patton had served as Usher’s manager for the length of the 28-year-old's mega-successful career. She reportedly was against the union, and was only invited to the ceremony at the last minute.

Some other reports said that major differences in opinion between the couple also led them to announce the cancellation of their wedding. In order to upscale the event Usher reportedly had chosen chef Jean Georges for a catered dinner, while Foster, who had worked as Usher's personal stylist for five years, wanted a backyard barbecue.

"They only decided two weeks ago to have a wedding," TMZ quoted an unnamed source as saying. "They wanted to have it take place before the baby bump started showing."

It is still not clear whether the two were still engaged or will separate for good.

Born Usher Raymond IV in Dallas, Texas, on October 14, 1978, Usher rose from genuine teen idol to mature pop star. He rose to fame in the mid-late 1990s. In late 1997, Usher received his first Grammy Award nomination as “Best Male R&B Vocal Performance” for "You Make Me Wanna," which was also nominated for a Soul Train Music Award as ‘Best Male R&B/Soul Single.’

In February 2002, he won a Grammy for ‘Best Male R&B Vocal Performance’ for “U Remind Me.” The next year, he won the same award for “U Don't Have to Call,” making him the only artist aside from Luther Vandross, more than a decade before, and Stevie Wonder (in the 1970s) to win this award consecutively.

Wardrobe stylist Tameka Foster has 3 kids and recently divorced Noontime Music co-founder Ryan Glover to marry Usher. The couple has been hiding their relationship for the last one and half years. The news of their engagement came into light in February when Usher was at the NAACP Theater Image Awards in Beverly Hills. At the time, on-stage to accept his Spirit Award, he thanked Foster, referring to her as his "fiancée."