Debbie Rowe
Encyclopedia
Deborah Jeanne "Debbie" Rowe (born December 6, 1958) is an ex-wife of pop singer, Michael Jackson
, and the mother of two of his children. She currently lives in Palmdale, California
.
while working as a nurse in Dr. Arnold Klein
's dermatology office, where Jackson was being treated for vitiligo
. 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.
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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.
Three months after Rowe and Jackson's marriage she gave birth to son, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. (born February 13, 1997), who was subsequently known as Prince. The next year she gave birth to daughter, Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson. (born April 3, 1998). Jackson took full responsibility for raising the children.
. Court documents indicated she had signed a prenuptial agreement and therefore could not obtain an equal division of community property
under California law.
In 2001, Rowe went to a private judge
to have her parental rights 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. 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
. 2005 court documents noted that “Because she is Jewish, Deborah feared the children might be mistreated if Michael continued the association.” 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.
In 2005, Rowe sold her Beverly Hills house for $1.3 million, and bought a ranch
in Palmdale, California
. 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.
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 television news program Extra
and on March 3, 2010 she was successful in the defamation lawsuit. She was awarded $27,000 in damages, although she had originally sought $500,000.
In August 2009, 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.
in the 2004 film Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story
.
Rowe was parodied in actress/comedian Tracey Ullman's series Tracey Ullman's State Of The Union
.
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, and the mother of two of his children. She currently lives in Palmdale, California
Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city located in the center of northern Los Angeles County, California, United States.Palmdale was the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city on August 24, 1962; 47 years later, voters approved creating a charter city in November, 2009. Palmdale is...
.
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 who was born in 1961.Relationship with Michael Jackson
Rowe met Michael JacksonMichael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
while working as a nurse in Dr. Arnold Klein
Arnold Klein
Arnold William "Arnie" Klein is an American dermatologist and Professor of Medicine/Dermatology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Los Angeles, California.-Background and Education:...
's dermatology office, where Jackson was being treated for vitiligo
Vitiligo
Vitiligo is a condition that causes depigmentation of sections of skin. It occurs when melanocytes, the cells responsible for skin pigmentation, die or are unable to function. The cause of vitiligo is unknown, but research suggests that it may arise from autoimmune, genetic, oxidative stress,...
. She recalled that after Jackson's divorce from Lisa Marie Presley
Lisa Marie Presley
Lisa Marie Presley is an American singer and songwriter, also known as the "Princess of Rock and Roll". She is the only child of Elvis Presley, and daughter of Priscilla Presley.-Early life:...
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.
Children and marriage
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It was her second marriage, her first being to Richard Edelman in 1988.
Three months after Rowe and Jackson's marriage she gave birth to son, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. (born February 13, 1997), who was subsequently known as Prince. The next year she gave birth to daughter, Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson. (born April 3, 1998). 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 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, CaliforniaBeverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
. Court documents indicated she had signed a prenuptial agreement and therefore could not obtain an equal division of community property
Community property
Community property is a marital property regime that originated in civil law jurisdictions and is now also found in some common law jurisdictions...
under California law.
In 2001, Rowe went to a private judge
Alternative dispute resolution
Alternative Dispute Resolution includes dispute resolution processes and techniques that act as a means for disagreeing parties to come to an agreement short of litigation. ADR basically is an alternative to a formal court hearing or litigation...
to have her parental rights 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. According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency is an international news agency serving Jewish community newspapers and media around the world. The JTA was founded on February 6, 1917, by Jacob Landau as the Jewish Correspondence Bureau in The Hague with the mandate of collecting and disseminating news among and...
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
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
. 2005 court documents noted that “Because she is Jewish, Deborah feared the children might be mistreated if Michael continued the association.” On the stand, in the 2005 People v. Jackson
People v. Jackson
People vs. Jackson was a 2005 trial involving recording artist Michael Jackson. The accuser was a boy, Gavin Arvizo, who was 13 years old at the time of the alleged crimes...
case, she explained that she had been allowed 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
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
in Palmdale, California
Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city located in the center of northern Los Angeles County, California, United States.Palmdale was the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city on August 24, 1962; 47 years later, voters approved creating a charter city in November, 2009. Palmdale is...
. 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 mother. and that she was attempting to bargain her parental rights for money. Several gossip outlets reported that Debbie Rowe was the surrogate mother for the children and not their biological mother.In July, 2009, she filed a lawsuit for defamation and invasion of privacy
Invasion of privacy
United States privacy law embodies several different legal concepts. One is the invasion of privacy, a tort based in common law allowing an aggrieved party to bring a lawsuit against an individual who unlawfully intrudes into his or her private affairs, discloses his or her private information,...
against a source who handed over alleged private e-mails to the television news program Extra
Extra (TV series)
Extra is an American entertainment television news program covering events and celebrities which debuted on September 5, 1994 in syndication. It is produced at Victory Studios in Glendale, California by Telepictures Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television Distribution...
and on March 3, 2010 she was successful in the defamation lawsuit. She was awarded $27,000 in damages, although she had originally sought $500,000.
In August 2009, Rowe reached a settlement with Katherine Jackson
Katherine Jackson
Katherine Esther Jackson is the matriarch of the Jackson musical family.-Early life:...
, 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.
In popular culture
Rowe was portrayed by April TelekApril Telek
-Early life and career:Telek was born and raised on the North Shore of Vancouver, British Columbia. In Japan she pursued her modeling career and won a Shiseido Cosmetics contract for Asia from 1989-1990. In April 1994 she won the title of Miss Canada and represented Canada in several International...
in the 2004 film Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story
Man In The Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story
Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story is a 2004 biographical telefilm produced for VH1. The biopic stars Flex Alexander as Michael Jackson, and follows his rise to fame and subsequent controversial events. The film takes its title from one of Jackson's songs, "Man in the Mirror".The film...
.
Rowe was parodied in actress/comedian Tracey Ullman's series Tracey Ullman's State Of The Union
Tracey Ullman's State of the Union
Tracey Ullman's State of the Union is an American sketch-comedy series starring comedian Tracey Ullman. The series is written by Ullman along with Hollywood satirist Bruce Wagner. Gail Parent and Craig DiGregorio acted as contributing writers to the series' first season. On May 17, 2010, it was...
.