Debbie Rowe Explained

Debbie Rowe
Birth Date:6 December 1958
Birth Place:Spokane, Washington, U.S.
Birth Name:Deborah Jeanne Rowe
Education:Hollywood High School
Spouse:
    Children:2, including Paris Jackson[1]

    Deborah Jeanne Rowe (born December 6, 1958)[2] [3] is an American woman known for being the ex-wife of pop musician Michael Jackson, with whom she had two children.[4]

    Early life

    Debbie Rowe was born on December 6, 1958, in Spokane, Washington, 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.[5]

    First marriage

    Rowe married Richard Edelman in 1982 and converted to Judaism. The couple divorced six years later.[6]

    Relationship with Michael Jackson

    Rowe met Michael Jackson while working as an assistant in Arnold Klein's dermatology office, where Jackson was being treated for vitiligo.[7] [6] She recalled that after Jackson's divorce from Lisa Marie Presley in 1996, he was upset that he might never become a father. Rowe, a longtime Jackson fan, proposed to bear his children.[8] In an interview with Playboy, Lisa Marie stated that at the time that she and Jackson were married, she knew that Rowe wanted to have his children and that Rowe had "a crush on him".[9]

    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, Australia.[10]

    Rowe had a son, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr.[1] (born February 13, 1997, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles),[11] who was subsequently nicknamed Prince.[12] The next year, she gave birth to daughter Paris Jackson[1] on April 3, 1998, at Spaulding Pain Medical Clinic in Beverly Hills in Los Angeles.[13] Jackson took full responsibility for raising the children.[8] [14]

    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.[8] The couple divorced in April 2000, and Rowe gave full custody rights of the children to Jackson.[15] Rowe received a US$8 million settlement and a house in Beverly Hills, California.[16] Court documents indicated she had signed a prenuptial agreement and therefore could not obtain an equal division of community property under California law.[17]

    In 2001, Rowe went to a private judge to have her parental rights for the two children terminated.[16] In 2004, after Jackson was charged with 10 counts of child abuse, she went to court to have the decision reversed.[18] According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 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.[19] Court documents from 2005 noted that "[b]ecause she is Jewish, Deborah feared the children might be mistreated if Michael continued the association."[20] 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.[21]

    In 2005, Rowe sold her Beverly Hills house for $1.3 million and bought a ranch in Palmdale.[22] 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.[23]

    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[24] [25] and that she was attempting to bargain her parental rights for money.[26]

    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 entertainment news program Extra,[27] 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.[28]

    In August 2009, Rowe reached a settlement with Katherine Jackson, the children's guardian, under which Rowe has rights to supervised visitations.[29]

    In April 2014, Rowe announced on Entertainment Tonight that she was engaged to music producer and former Neverland Ranch videographer Marc Schaffel, who worked with Jackson on his 9/11 charity single "What More Can I Give". 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.[30]

    Health

    In 2016, Rowe was diagnosed with breast cancer.[31]

    In popular culture

    Rowe was portrayed by April Telek in the 2004 film .[32]

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Birth certificates . . September 20, 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110710203716/http://www.etonline.com/documents/et_michaeljackson_certificates_090630.pdf . July 10, 2011 .
    2. News: Debbie Rowe . January 17, 2020 . Biography . en-us . https://web.archive.org/web/20190401175957/https://www.biography.com/people/debbie-rowe-467216 . April 1, 2019 . live .
    3. Book: Jones, Jel. Michael Jackson Rocked the World and Lives Forever. April 21, 2010. PublishAmerica. 9781456071745. April 1, 2019. Google Books. https://web.archive.org/web/20190401134345/https://books.google.com.au/books?id=xbKeCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT144&lpg=PT144&dq=debbie+rowe+born+december+1958&source=bl&ots=ROoT4NcfkQ&sig=ACfU3U2KvCoGCBYWGGWaHMKDSsPZ7JlLAA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjKzcWy067hAhVw73MBHbb_BmQ4FBDoATAJegQICRAB#v=onepage&q=debbie+rowe+born+december+1958&f=false. April 1, 2019. live.
    4. News: Debbie Rowe: I won't see Jackson's children again. . The Sydney Morning Herald. June 29, 2009. April 1, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190401134118/https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/debbie-rowe-i-wont-see-jacksons-children-again-20090629-d1si.html. April 1, 2019. live.
    5. Book: Taraborrelli, J. Randy. Michael Jackson. August 1, 2004. Pan Macmillan UK. 9781743032145. April 1, 2019. Google Books. https://web.archive.org/web/20190401134343/https://books.google.com.au/books?id=M5fyao4Z0O8C&pg=PT751&lpg=PT751&dq=debbie+rowe+chilcutt&source=bl&ots=FbMQRR_8P5&sig=ACfU3U1jn2rhGU1K-T3dEaQjLeTlemgQEw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjQktSp1a7hAhWRWX0KHb-VDbA4ChDoATACegQICRAB#v=onepage&q=debbie+rowe+chilcutt&f=false. April 1, 2019. live.
    6. News: What Friends Are for. Schneider. Karen S.. December 2, 1996. People. July 2, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303183207/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20142911,00.html. March 3, 2016. live.
    7. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/469586.stm Entertainment: Jackson to divorce again
    8. The Michael Jackson Interview: The Footage You Were Never Meant to See
    9. News: Complete Lisa Marie Presley Playboy Interview. October 20, 2014. Playboy. July 30, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20160530060913/http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/lisa_marie_playboy_interview.shtml. May 30, 2016. live.
    10. News: ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT REPORTS FROM THE TIMES, NEWS SERVICES AND THE NATION’S PRESS.. October 9, 1999. Los Angeles Times.
    11. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985959,00.html People – Manchild Has Boy Child
    12. Web site: Last Will Of Michael Joseph Jackson. The Smoking Gun. September 20, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20100330042624/http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0701091mjwill1.html. March 30, 2010. live.
    13. https://www.today.com/popculture/debbie-rowe-reaches-out-jackson-family-wbna31663117 Debbie Rowe reaches out to Jackson family
    14. Living with Michael Jackson
    15. News: Debbie Rowe, Michael Jackson's ex-wife and kids' mom, to testify . Los Angeles Times . August 14, 2013 . January 4, 2024 .
    16. https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/1122990201.html?dids=1122990201:1122990201&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Sep+06%2C+2006&author=Jessica+Garrison&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Case+Reopens+Debate+on+Private+Judges%3B+Michael+Jackson's+clash+with+ex-wife+heads+for+county+court+as+officials+seek+to+reform+system.&pqatl=google Case Reopens Debate on Private Judges; Michael Jackson's clash with ex-wife heads for county court as officials seek to reform system.
    17. Bruce Simon, Michael Jackson Divorce Details Revealed, Yahoo Music news, October 8, 1999.
    18. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/entertainment/5175408.stm Michael Jackson sued by ex-wife
    19. http://jta.org/news/article/2009/06/28/1006174/jackson-kids-jewish-mother-could-regain-custody Jackson kids' Jewish mother could regain custody
    20. http://jta.org/news/article/2009/07/03/1006310/rowe-seeks-parental-rights-over-nation-of-islam Rowe seeks parental rights over Nation of Islam
    21. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,154778,00.html Jacko's Ex Rowe: Interview Wasn't Scripted
    22. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/michael_jackson/2009/07/03/2009-07-03_do_you_want_yer_kids_or_not.html Daly: Debbie Rowe continues to waffle on custody decision for Michael Jackson's kids
    23. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/entertainment/5394792.stm Jackson child custody fight ends
    24. http://www.usmagazine.com/news/lawyer-debbie-rowe-is-biological-mom-2009306 Lawyer: Debbie Rowe Is Biological Mom
    25. http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/entertainment/Debbie_Rowe__Dermatologist_Respond_To_Reports_Over_Michael_Jackson_s_Children.html Debbie Rowe, Dermatologist Respond To Reports Over Michael Jackson's Children
    26. http://gawker.com/5314640/debbie-rowe-threatening-to-sue-the-new-york-post-over-report-she-sold-her-kids Debbie Rowe Sics Her Lawyers on the New York Post over Report She Sold Her Kids
    27. News: Goldman . Russell . Murphy . Eileen . Pearle . Lauren . July 17, 2009 . Debbie Rowe Files Suit Over Custody Rumors . . December 1, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150322092258/http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/MichaelJackson/story?id=8105212&page=1 . March 22, 2015 . live .
    28. News: Debbie Rowe wins judgment in defamation case . . . March 3, 2010 . December 1, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150705115753/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2010-03-03-debbie-rowe_N.htm . July 5, 2015 . live .
    29. News: Jackson mother 'agrees custody' . February 24, 2019 . The Independent . July 31, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190224175012/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/jackson-mother-agrees-custody-1765464.html . February 24, 2019 . live .
    30. Web site: Debbie Rowe Engaged to Michael Jackson's Executive Producer Marc Schaffel—Check Out Her Ring!. March 28, 2014. E! Online. January 24, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20190321174506/https://www.eonline.com/news/526300/debbie-rowe-engaged-to-michael-jackson-s-executive-producer-marc-schaffel-check-out-her-ring. March 21, 2019. live.
    31. Web site: Respers France . Lisa . Debbie Rowe, Michael Jackson's ex, has cancer . cnn.com . February 24, 2019 . July 5, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190321124617/https://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/05/entertainment/debbie-rowe-cancer-michael-jackson/index.html . March 21, 2019 . live .
    32. Web site: Man in Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story. Fuchs. Cynthia. February 7, 2005. popmatters.com. January 4, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20121022070519/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/man-in-the-mirror-dvd/. October 22, 2012. live.

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