Electra Shock

Backstage at a July 13 Rock Star: Supernova party held at L.A.’s Roxy, Dave Navarro just wanted a little affection. “If someone was walking by, he’d say, ‘I need a hug,'” says a source at the event, where the former Jane’s Addiction guitarist performed. “It was a little weird, but the girls went with it.”

It all made sense just a few days later when Navarro, 39, and wife Carmen Electra, 34, announced they had separated after two and a half years of marriage. “They’ve tried so hard to stay together,” says a friend. “But both of them finally realized it’s just not working out.”

Anyone who watched the couple lovingly plan their wedding on the 2004 MTV series ‘Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen & Dave might have thought that despite one failed marriage behind him back in 1994 and one behind her (she wed ex-NBA star Dennis Rodman in 1998), the rocker and the Baywatch babe had a good shot at success. The two, who met through a mutual friend in 2000, also suffered a common loss: Navarro’s mother was murdered by a boyfriend in 1983 and Electra’s died of brain cancer in 1998. Still, despite a happy beginning, the past year has been “very rocky,” says a source, blaming hectic schedules for the rift. “They’re both heartbroken, but they still love each other,” says the source. “The reality of it is that they’re better off as best friends.”