Deborah Jeanne Rowe
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Deborah Jeanne Rowe (born December 6, 1958) is an American nurse known for being the wife of pop musician
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
, with whom she had two children.


Early life

Debbie Rowe was born on December 6, 1958, in
Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...
, to Barbara Chilcutt and Gordon Rowe. Her father divorced her mother a few weeks before her second birthday. She was raised by her mother, a few aunts, and her maternal grandmother.


First marriage

Rowe married Richard Edelman in 1982 and
converted to Judaism Conversion to Judaism ( or ) is the process by which non-Jews adopt the Jewish religion and become members of the Jewish ethnoreligious community. It thus resembles both conversion to other religions and naturalization. "Thus, by convertin ...
. The couple divorced six years later.


Relationship with Michael Jackson

Rowe met
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
while working as an assistant in
Arnold Klein Arnold William Klein (February 27, 1945 – October 22, 2015) was an American dermatologist. In the infancy of the AIDS epidemic, Klein became one of the first doctors in Los Angeles to diagnose a case of Kaposi's sarcoma in a young patient. He a ...
's dermatology office, where Jackson was being treated for
vitiligo Vitiligo (, ) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that causes patches of skin to lose pigment or color. The cause of vitiligo is unknown, but it may be related to immune system changes, genetic factors, stress, or sun exposure, and susceptibili ...
. She recalled that after Jackson's divorce from
Lisa Marie Presley Lisa Marie Presley (February 1, 1968 – January 12, 2023) was an American singer and songwriter. She was the daughter of singer and actor Elvis Presley, who is referred to as "The King of Rock and Roll" and actress Priscilla Presley, as well a ...
in 1996, he was upset that he might never become a father. Rowe, a longtime Jackson fan, proposed to bear his children.''The Michael Jackson Interview: The Footage You Were Never Meant to See'' In an interview with ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
'', Lisa Marie stated that during her marriage to Jackson, he knew that Rowe wanted to have his children and that Rowe had "a crush on him".


Children and marriage

Rowe had suffered a miscarriage in 1996 which devastated her. Jackson consoled her throughout the ordeal, and it was announced Rowe was pregnant again in 1996; the two were married on November 15, 1996, in
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, Australia. Rowe had a son, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. (born February 13, 1997, at
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a non-profit, Tertiary referral hospital, tertiary, 915-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science centre, academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
), who was subsequently nicknamed Prince. The next year, she gave birth to daughter
Paris Jackson Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson (born April 3, 1998) is an American model, actress, and singer. She is the second child and only daughter of Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe. In 2020, Jackson signed a deal with Republic Records. Her debut al ...
on April 3, 1998, at Spaulding Pain Medical Clinic in
Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. Jackson took full responsibility for raising the children.


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. The couple divorced in April 2000, and Rowe gave full custody rights of the children to Jackson. Rowe received a US$8 million settlement and a house in
Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...
.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 The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
(archive), September 6, 2006
Court documents indicated she had signed a
prenuptial A prenuptial agreement, antenuptial agreement, or premarital agreement (commonly referred to as a prenup), is a written contract entered into by a couple before marriage or a civil union that enables them to select and control many of the legal ...
agreement and therefore could not obtain an equal division of
community property Community property (United States) also called community of property (South Africa) is a marital property regime whereby property acquired during a marriage is considered to be owned by both spouses and subject to division between them in the e ...
under California law. In 2001, Rowe went to a private judge to have her
parental rights Parental responsibility refers to the responsibility which underpin the relationship between the children and the children's parents and those adults who are granted parental responsibility by either signing a 'parental responsibility agreement' ...
for the two children terminated. In 2004, after Jackson was charged with 10 counts of child abuse, she went to court to have the decision reversed.Michael Jackson sued by ex-wife
,
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
, July 13, 2006
According to the
Jewish Telegraphic Agency The Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) is an international news agency and wire service that primarily covers Judaism- and Jewish-related topics and news. Described as the "Associated Press of the Jewish media", JTA serves Jewish and non-Jewish news ...
, Rowe, who was a convert to Judaism, 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 The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930. A centralized and hierarchical organization, the NOI is committed to black nationalism and focuses its attention on the Afr ...
. Court documents from 2005 noted that " cause she is Jewish, Deborah feared the children might be mistreated if Michael continued the association."Rowe seeks parental rights over Nation of Islam
,
Jewish Telegraphic Agency The Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) is an international news agency and wire service that primarily covers Judaism- and Jewish-related topics and news. Described as the "Associated Press of the Jewish media", JTA serves Jewish and non-Jewish news ...
, July 3, 2009.
On the stand, in the 2005 '' People v. Jackson'' case, she explained that she had been granted limited visits to her children, for eight hours every 45 days. In 2005, Rowe sold her Beverly Hills house for $1.3 million and bought a ranch in Palmdale. In 2006, she sued Jackson for one immediate payment of $195,000 and one payment of $50,000 to pursue a child custody case. Jackson was ordered to pay her $60,000 in legal fees.


After Jackson's death

Following Jackson's death on 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 motherDebbie Rowe, Dermatologist Respond To Reports Over Michael Jackson's Children
but
NBC New York WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City that serves as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo stati ...
, June 30, 2009
and that she was attempting to bargain her parental rights for money. In July 2009, she filed a lawsuit for
defamation Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
and
invasion of privacy The right to privacy is an element of various legal traditions that intends to restrain governmental and private actions that threaten the privacy of individuals. Over 185 national constitutions mention the right to privacy. Since the global ...
against a source who handed over alleged private e-mails to the television entertainment news program ''
Extra Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * Extra (newspaper), ...
'', and on March 3, 2010, she was successful in the defamation lawsuit. She was awarded $27,000 in damages, although she had sought $500,000. In August 2009, Rowe reached a settlement with
Katherine Jackson Katherine Esther Jackson (née Scruse; born May 4, 1930) is the matriarch of the Jackson family of entertainers that includes her children Michael and Janet Jackson. Michael dedicated his sixth studio album '' Thriller'' (1982) to her. Janet ...
, the children's guardian, under which Rowe has rights to supervised visits. In April 2014, Rowe announced on ''
Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Par ...
'' that she was engaged to music producer and former
Neverland Ranch Sycamore Valley Ranch, formerly Neverland Ranch"Neverland Never More"
, by William Etling (author ...
videographer Marc Schaffel, who worked with Jackson on his
9/11 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
charity single "
What More Can I Give "What More Can I Give" (also "Todo Para Ti" in Spanish) is a song written by American singer Michael Jackson and recorded in 2001 by Jackson and a supergroup of singers following the September 11 attacks. The inspiration for the song had initi ...
". Schaffel was the sole Jackson employee who was permitted access to visit Rowe following their divorce in 2000 and he assisted Rowe with her health problems.


Health

In 2016, Rowe was diagnosed with breast cancer.


In popular culture

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


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rowe, Debbie 1958 births Living people 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews 20th-century American women 21st-century American women Converts to Judaism People from Spokane, Washington People from Palmdale, California Michael Jackson Jews from Washington (state)