I guess this could be considered news being that Gene has repeatedly said over the years that he would never get married. Apparently he's changed his mind and on Oct 1st he'll be a married man!
I've read some folks saying that he's getting roped into this, but he's a grown man. He's always said he does things his way, and although his way has always been to not get married, maybe his age and mortality are creeping up on him and have convinced him to change his mind. Either way, congratulations and good luck to Gene and Shannon!