Musical soul mates Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz are “thrilled” to announce their fans that they are “happily engaged” and thank them for all their “support and well wishes.”

The couple has long been followed by speculation that they are engaged or perhaps even expecting a baby but both have shaken off rumors and carried on, their relationship as well as their musical pursuits.

But Ashlee, 23, and Pete, 28, have now decided to share with fans an important event in their lives – their engagement. A message posted Wednesday on FriendsorEnemies.com says: “We know there has been a lot of speculation recently about Pete and I and we wanted our fans to be the first to know, because you guys are the best.

“Yes, we are thrilled to share that we are happily engaged. Thank you for all of your support and well wishes - it means the world to us. We consider this to be a very private matter, but we wanted you to hear it straight from us.”

Ashlee’s dad, Joe, confirmed to People.com that the youngsters are engaged. He said he is “totally happy” and “so excited to have Pete as part of (our) family.” He concluded, “We are blessed.”

Ashlee, the younger sister of pop singer Jessica Simpson, and Pete, the bassist for Fall Out Boy, have been linked since fall of 2006. Earlier this year, Ashlee was seen wearing a diamond ring on her engagement finger, which she explained was a promise ring from Pete.

As for previous rumors regarding pregnancy or engagement, the 23-year-old responded swiftly and strongly through a message on her MySpace Celebrity blog titled “Response to False Rumors.” A radio appearance in early March sparked rumors that she had been intoxicated, because she frequently laughed at questions, sounded like she was slurring her words and could not remember lyrics to her own songs.

“It was very upsetting to hear that people are saying that I was intoxicated when I came in for my morning interview,” she wrote at the time. “I take my work very seriously and would never disrespect anyone and come into an interview that way.”

She also explained that she giggles when asked uncomfortable questions about her personal life and that her philosophy is to laugh them off. “Questions & false rumors about my dad being a jerk, being pregnant, being engaged, etc are not fun to answer every single day,” she wrote.

Ashlee added that she is “tired of people making things up about others” and that her clarifications are “for my fans. You are what is important to me.” Which would explain her and Pete’s openness about their recent engagement.