Donald Fagen threatened with divorce as Steely Dan founder charged with assaulting wife

The 67-year-old was charged by police in New York

Donald Fagen has been charged with assault (AP)

The wife of Donald Fagen, the founder of the band Steely Dan and the creator of such seminal albums as The Nightfly, has been threatened with divorce by his wife, after he allegedly assaulted her.

The 67-year-old musician was charged on Tuesday with assaulting his wife at their New York home, according to the Associated Press.

The musician is accused of shoving Libby Titus into a marble window frame and knocking her to the ground on Monday. The incident caused the 68-year-old Ms Titus to “suffer bruising and swelling to her right arm, as well as substantial pain,” according to the criminal complaint that was filed.

Fagen's 1982 album The Nightfly was a bestseller on both sides of the Atalantic

Fagen was charged with assault and harassment. His publicist and his lawyer had no comment, the AP said.

Fagen launched Steely Dan in 1972 with guitarist Walter Becker. The group went on to sell more than 40 million albums, with such hit singles as Reelin' In the Years, Rikki Don't Lose that Number, and Deacon Blues. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

Becker and Fagen performed an eight-night residency at New York's Beacon Theatre in October with a new incarnation of the band.

Ms Titus is a producer, actor and songwriter and put out two albums in the late 1970s with producers Phil Ramone, Paul Simon, Carly Simon and Robbie Robertson.

“I don't feel good,” Ms Titus told the New York Post. “I'm very tired, and I'm divorcing my husband.”