Rapper Vanilla Ice repeatedly threatened to kill himself in a bizarre 911 call his wife made during a violent row last month. Ice - real name Robert Van Winkle - was eventually cleared of domestic battery after the bitter confrontation at their Palm Beach, Florida home on 10 April.

A tape recording of the call his wife Laura made to emergency services on the night has been leaked to TMZ.com. It reveals her desperate pleas for a divorce and his threats to end his life. At one point the operator asks if there are guns in the house, Laura confirms there are, and Van Winkle is heard saying, "I don't need a gun."

Later in the seven minute-long conversation, Laura told the operator, "All I really want is a divorce. He is too controlling," and Van Winkle can be heard saying, "I'm going to kill myself, I swear to God." Police were dispatched to the scene and Van Winkle was arrested. Laura later retracted her statement, accusing him of hitting and kicking her, and charges were dropped. (wenn)