Aussie pop superstar Kylie Minogue is taking time-out from her music career and has split from her manager of 25 years, Terry Blamey.

The end of their partnership, which Billboard.biz can confirm, draws curtains on one of the most fruitful artist-manager relationships in Australian music biz history.

Blamey, who like Kylie is from Melbourne but now calls London home, is very much a behind-the-scenes operator who rarely gives interviews, though his skills as a manager have never been in doubt.

With more than 40 years’ experience both as an agent and manager, Blamey has guided Kylie through a career which has garnered sales of some 65 million albums and countless awards, including a BRIT and a Grammy.

Their business association began in 1987, with the release of Kylie’s first single, “The Locomotion.” The album from which it was lifted, ‘Kylie,’ went on to earn seven-times certification in the U.K., where she was already a household name thanks to her role as Charlene in the popular Australian soap ‘Neighbors.’

As recently as last November, Blamey was celebrated by his peers, receiving the high honor of the Peter Grant lifetime achievement accolade at the Artist and Managers Awards in East London. Kylie was in the house that night, and Blamey dedicated 80% of the award to her.

In 2002, Blamey was named Manager of the Year Award at the Music Managers Forum Roll of Honour event in London, and received the best manager award from the ILMC in 2003.

Kylie is keen to pursue her acting career, and her music activities will take the back seat.

Billboard.biz reached out to Blamey for comment, and received an email which Blamey had sent to his friends and colleagues on New Year’s Eve in Sydney, on a night when Kylie pressed the button on the city’s fireworks display. In his note, Blamey said the split was done “amicably” and reiterated that Minogue would not be leaving the music biz.

“After the self-imposed demands of K25, an incredibly successful year spent celebrating Kylie’s 25 years in music, throughout the world, and indeed after twenty-five years of hard work and undeniable dedication to create one of the most successful global music careers, Kylie has decided to pull back slightly from the pressures of her career and devote more time to herself and her acting. This is not to say she will be retiring from music, just taking a bit of a break,” says Blamey.

Blamey no longer looks after the business of Kylie and her companies and he says he’ll “pursue other exciting business opportunities and spend more time with my family.”