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Debbie Rowe

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Debbie Rowe
Born
Deborah Jeanne Rowe

(1958-12-06) December 6, 1958 (age 66)
Spokane, Washington, U.S.
Other namesDeborah Jeanne Jackson
EducationHollywood High School
Occupation(s)Dermatology nurse, horse breeder
Known forMarriage to Michael Jackson
Spouse(s)Richard Edelman (1982–1988)

Michael Jackson (1996–1999) 2 children
ChildrenMichael Joseph Jackson Jr. (b. February 13, 1997)
Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson (b. April 3, 1998)[1]
Parent(s)Gordon Rowe (d. 1999)
Barbara Chilcutt

Deborah Jeanne "Debbie" Rowe (born December 6, 1958)[2] is an ex-wife of pop singer, Michael Jackson, and the mother of two of his children. She currently lives in Palmdale, California.[3]

Early life

Debbie Rowe was born into a middle class family. Her father Gordon divorced her mother Barbara a few weeks before her second birthday. Debbie was raised by her mother, a few aunts, and maternal grandmother. She has one half-sister named Loretta Scarlett Rowe born 1961.

Relationship with Michael Jackson

See also: Relationship of Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe

Rowe met Michael Jackson while working as a nurse in Dr. Arnold Klein's dermatology office, where Jackson was being treated for vitiligo.[4] She recalled that after Jackson's divorce from Lisa Marie Presley in 1996, he was upset at the possibility that he might never become a father. Rowe, a longtime Jackson fan, proposed to bear his children.[5]

Children and marriage

Michael Jackson with his three children (the two oldest were borne by Rowe), in Disneyland Resort Paris in 2006.

It was announced she was pregnant in 1996, and the two were later married on November 14, 1996, in Sydney, Australia. It was her second marriage, her first being to Richard Edelman in 1988.[6]

Three months after Rowe and Jackson's marriage she gave birth to son, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr.[1] (born February 13, 1997),[7] who was subsequently known as Prince.[8] The next year she gave birth to daughter, Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson.[1] (born April 3, 1998).[9] Jackson took full responsibility for raising the children and did not tell them that Rowe was their mother.[5][10]

Divorce

Rowe, who described herself as a private person and almost never gave interviews, was overwhelmed by the publicity that came with being married to Jackson.[5] The couple divorced on October 8, 1999, with Rowe giving full custody rights of the children to Jackson. Rowe received an $8-million settlement, and a house in Beverly Hills, California.[11] Court documents indicated she had signed a prenuptial agreement and therefore could not obtain an equal division of community property under California law.[12]

In 2001, Rowe went to a private judge to have her parental rights for the two children terminated.[11] In 2004, after Jackson was charged with 10 counts of child abuse, she went to court to have the decision reversed.[13] According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency Rowe, who converted to Judaism from Catholicism, sought the reversal in part because she feared the nanny and some of Jackson's siblings were exposing the children to teachings of the Nation of Islam.[14] 2005 court documents noted that “Because she is Jewish, Deborah feared the children might be mistreated if Michael continued the association.”[15] On the stand, in the 2005 People v. Jackson case, she explained that she had been allowed limited visits to her children, for eight hours every 45 days.[16]

In 2005, Rowe sold her Beverly Hills house for $1.3 million, and bought a ranch in Palmdale, California.[17] In 2006, she sued Jackson for one immediate payment of $195,000 and one payment of $50,000 to pursue a child custody case.[13] Jackson was ordered to pay her $60,000 in legal fees.[18]

After Jackson's death

Following Jackson's death in June 25, 2009, Rowe made statements through her attorney to deny a series of gossip reports, including reports that she was not the children's biological mother.[19][20] and that she was attempting to bargain her parental rights for money.[21] Several gossip outlets reported that Debbie Rowe was the surrogate mother for the children and not their biological mother. [22] In July, 2009, she filed a lawsuit for defamation and invasion of privacy against a source who handed over alleged private e-mails to the TV program Extra(TV series)[23] and on March 3, 2010 she won the defamation lawsuit. She won $27,000 in damages, although she had originally asked for $500,000. [24]

In August Rowe reached a settlement with Katherine Jackson, the children's guardian, under which she has rights to supervised visitations. Mrs. Jackson's attorney stated that the negotiations were "never about money" and the settlement was in the best interests of the children. The children now know that Rowe is their mother and they have visitations with her.[25]

Rowe was portrayed by April Telek in the 2004 film Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story.[26]

Rowe was parodied in actress/comedienne Tracey Ullman's series Tracey Ullman's State Of The Union.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Birth certificates" (PDF). County of Los Angeles. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
  2. ^ "Debbie Rowe". nndb.com. 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  3. ^ Debbie Rowe: I won't see Jackson's children again, WaToday.com.au, 2009-06-29
  4. ^ Entertainment: Jackson to divorce again, BBC, 1999-10-08
  5. ^ a b c The Michael Jackson Interview: The Footage You Were Never Meant to See
  6. ^ Schneider, Karen S. (1996-12-02). "What Friends Are for". People. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  7. ^ People – Manchild Has Boy Child, Time, February 24, 1997
  8. ^ "Last Will Of Michael Joseph Jackson". The Smoking Gun. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
  9. ^ Debbie Rowe reaches out to Jackson family, MSNBC, 2009-06-30
  10. ^ Living with Michael Jackson
  11. ^ a b Case Reopens Debate on Private Judges; Michael Jackson's clash with ex-wife heads for county court as officials seek to reform system., Los Angeles Times (archive), September 6, 2006
  12. ^ Bruce Simon, Michael Jackson Divorce Details Revealed, Yahoo Music news, October 8, 1999.
  13. ^ a b Michael Jackson sued by ex-wife, BBC News, July 13, 2006
  14. ^ Jackson kids’ Jewish mother could regain custody, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, June 28, 2009.
  15. ^ Rowe seeks parental rights over Nation of Islam, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, July 3, 2009.
  16. ^ Jacko's Ex Rowe: Interview Wasn't Scripted, FoxNews, April 27, 2005
  17. ^ Daly: Debbie Rowe continues to waffle on custody decision for Michael Jackson's kids, New York Daily News, July 2, 2009
  18. ^ Jackson child custody fight ends, BBC News, September 30, 2006
  19. ^ Lawyer: Debbie Rowe Is Biological Mom, US Weekly, 2009-06-30
  20. ^ Debbie Rowe, Dermatologist Respond To Reports Over Michael Jackson's Children, NBC New York, 2009-06-30
  21. ^ Debbie Rowe Sics Her Lawyers on the New York Post over Report She Sold Her Kids
  22. ^ Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe 'are not biological parents of any of his children', Daily Mail, July 1, 2009
  23. ^ [1]
  24. ^ Debbie Rowe wins judgment in defamation case, Associated Press, March 3, 2010
  25. ^ [2]
  26. ^ Fuchs, Cynthia (7 February 2005). "Man in Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story". popmatters.com. Retrieved 4 January 2010.

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