Rihanna’s former publicist, Jonathan Hay, has confessed that he made up the rumor that Jay Z cheated on Beyonce with the now R&B/pop sensation. On Friday (Oct. 23), Hay issued an apologetic letter for his part in spreading this false rumor.

His apology comes as celebrity biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli’s tell-all book, Becoming Beyonce: The Untold Story, hits stores on Tuesday (Oct. 27). In the unauthorized memoir, Hay is outed as having planted the rumor to promote Rihanna's new single.

In a statement he writes (via New York Daily News):

“I apologized to her (Beyonce)...this whole thing is very awkward. I was blindsided by the news of Becoming Beyonce coming out and it couldn't come at a worse time for me. I’m currently releasing projects with my label Urban Hitchcock through TIDAL, a company that is owned by Jay Z and Beyonce...Hopefully this news hasn't ruined that relationship for me. The PR stunt that I did was out of desperation to help break ‘Pon de Replay.' It was reckless and I didn't think it was going to work. I was just throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what would stick."

"I didn't think it would be this big story. But now, seeing Beyonce on the cover of this book and knowing that people are profiting from speculations and opinions about her really turns my stomach. I'm ashamed that I'm even talking about this. I just want to put this rumor to rest once and for all."

According to the book, the cheating rumor, which started in 2005, caused Hov and Bey to separate from each other for a year. Thankfully, Jay Z and Beyonce's marriage survived the rumors but many people have been speculating whether it was true or not.

So let's be clear: Jay and RiRi did not have sexual relations.

Reps for Jay Z, Beyonce and Rihanna have not commented on Hay's apology letter.

Taraborrelli's book, Becoming Beyonce: The Untold Story, is being described as "the first comprehensive biography ever published about America's favorite living pop icon, Beyonce." If you are interested in copping the book, head over to Amazon.com.

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