June 25, 202412:17
Hear
Deborah ‘Debbie’ Rowe was born on December 6, 1958 in Spokane, Washington, United States, where she grew up and attended primary and secondary school. At age 17, when she graduated from high school, she studied to become a nurse. Once she obtained the degree, she got a job at the dermatological clinic of Dr. Arnold Klein, who became famous for being the one who treated Michael Jackson, the “king of pop,” with his vitiligo problems (loss of pigmentation in the skin).
In 1982, Debbie married Richard Edelman, a professor for whom, in an act of love, she converted to Judaism. She hoped that he would be the love of her life, but the flame of that union went out definitively in 1989.
It was around that time that Michael Jackson began to receive treatment at the clinic. Debbie and “the king of pop” became friends. It was 15 years of seeing each other, consultation after consultation. They developed a strong bond, of deep trust, where they shared secrets. It was in those talks that Michael confessed one of his main concerns: he told her that his greatest desire was to become a father. Which was everything he wanted for his life… and, at the same time, the only thing he was missing.
In the mid-1990s, Jackson went through a stormy time. He had ended his marriage to Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley. He had married her in 1994, but they lasted little more than a sigh: two years later, they signed the divorce. As a couple, they went through some of the most scandalous moments in the musician’s life together. In 1993 he was accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy. The relationship ended, according to the official record, due to “irreconcilable differences.”
In the midst of that storm, the singer found enormous support in Rowe. They shared more and more time, having endless telephone conversations at night. It was in one of those conversations when Debbie raised the possibility of renting a womb to fulfill her wish of becoming her father. And, immediately afterwards, in the same prayer, she offered him her own womb. Michael, surprised and excited, thanked and accepted.
In September 1996, the musician announced that she was expecting her first child. And in the same statement he referred for the first time to his future mother, Deborah Rowe. The news, logically, caused an impact among his fans and the press.
In a reflex action, the journalists ran to find out who that woman was and what her relationship with “the king of pop” was like. But the singer, in a new statement, responded bluntly: “Reports speculating that Ms. Rowe was artificially inseminated are completely false and irresponsible.” Then, time would prove the press right.
Entertainment reporters agreed that Michael and Debbie did not seem very in love. They highlighted that only once, in their few public appearances together, had they kissed on the cheek in front of photographers.
The pregnancy announcement was followed by a hasty, no-frills wedding in one of the most distant places in the United States: Australia. The ceremony was held on November 15, 1996 at the Sheraton Park in Sydney, under great discretion.
A rumor spread, never proven, that the groom’s best man was an eight-year-old boy named Anthony. But the secrecy surrounding the wedding was so intense that there was never any “first-hand” testimony about what happened at the hotel. The Irish Times reported that Sheraton staff swore that Jackson never left her room.
Finally, the news of the marriage was confirmed through a brief statement from Christine Holevas, the singer’s spokesperson: “It’s past midnight there, they are married. This is confirmed. All I know is that it happened,” she said.
The couple arrived in the United States and faced aggressive harassment from journalists. All kinds of versions emerged regarding their marriage. Almost all bad.
In an interview, Debbie came out at the crossroads of versions: “I got married and had a baby with the man I will always love and I am on top of the world. The only time I feel sad is when I see quotes attributed to me that I never said or when I hear late-night comedians take cheap shots at my husband when they aren’t true. Don’t believe 99 percent of the garbage you read or hear. “I know we will be under increasing public scrutiny, but I know that will always be a part of being married to Michael.”
Michael Jackson and Deborah Rowe had two children. The eldest, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., was born on February 13, 1997. He is informally known as Prince Michael Jackson or simply “Prince.” The second, Paris, was born on April 3, 1998. She was named after the city in which she was conceived.
Rowe, in her own words, never “acted” as a mother. This is how she told it: “He did everything. I wasn’t trying hard to be a mother. He didn’t change diapers, he didn’t get me up in the middle of the night. Even if I was there, Michael did everything.” And she added: “They are his children, I had them for him. They wouldn’t have been born if it hadn’t been for my love for him. I did it so that he could become a father, not so that I could become a mother.”
After Paris’s birth, Deborah became dissatisfied with her and Michael’s arrangement. It wasn’t the fairy tale she had dreamed of. She also couldn’t stand the harassment of the press. Displeased, she spoke to the singer and asked for a divorce.
They ended their marriage in 1999. Michael took full custody of their children and Debbie received a check for ten million dollars.
Three years later, in 2002, Michael Jackson had another son, Prince Michael Jackson II. During his early years they called him “Blanket” and today he introduces himself as “Bigi” Jackson. He was born via surrogate, it was never revealed who his mother is.
In 2004, Deborah Rowe legally filed for temporary custody of her two children, or at least “visitation rights.” The nurse was seeking a right that she herself had given in exchange for money. At that time, Michael Jackson was experiencing a legal drama after being accused of child abuse again. At that trial, Rowe testified on behalf of her ex-husband. She described him as a great person and a great father. “An innocent victim of the opportunistic vultures running their affairs,” she said. Furthermore, she said that the singer was easily manipulated, “especially if he was afraid,” she added.
The Michael Jackson case echoed around the world and divided public opinion. Many believed that Deborah declared in favor of the singer so that he could grant her visitation with the children, a right that she had legally given up, “by contract,” in her divorce. However, a judge later ruled that Rowe’s relinquishment of parental rights was invalid due to “procedural errors.” Thus she got a second chance to get closer to her two children.
It wasn’t until four years later, when Michael Jackson died, that Deborah Rowe returned to the front pages of newspapers. Her prominence grew because she began a legal battle against Katherine Jackson, the singer’s mother, for the ownership of Prince, Paris and Bigi. The “king of pop” had entrusted her custody to her mother, in writing. And he resolved that her second guardian would be the singer Diana Ross, leaving Debbie without the possibility of raising her children.
It was a long process, but eventually Katherine and Debbie reached an agreement: the grandmother would retain legal guardianship of her grandchildren, but the mother would be able to visit them regularly. They sealed the agreement in front of lawyers and, in the same act, Rowe received $8 million and a house in Beverly Hills.
Debbie worked hard to win back the affection of her children. She still maintains a healthy and fluid bond with all three of them. Especially with Paris, the middle daughter, whom she rescued from a deep depression. Later, in 2016, Paris accompanied her mother when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. “I am a warrior because she is one. “I love you mom,” Paris said.
Rowe underwent chemotherapy for two years, 2016 and 2017. Now recovered, in 2019 she gave an interview to the English newspaper The Sun where she revealed details of her relationship with Michael Jackson. There she told for the first time how she conceived her children. “They inseminated me. It’s like I inseminate my mares to reproduce. It was very technical. I was his pure blood. Michael was divorced (from Lisa Marie Presley), alone and wanted to have children. It was I who told him: ‘I will have your children.’ I offered him my belly, it was a gift. It was something I did to make him happy,” she explained.
In addition, he revealed that they had sexual relations and that they used donor sperm. If true, it would confirm the suspicion of many fans who pointed out that Michael Jackson’s children were nothing like him. In fact, in 2013, the British actor Mark Lester, a friend of the singer, claimed to be the father of the children: “It has been a secret for a long time. In 1996 Michael asked me to donate my sperm and I said yes. Was a present. There was no money, it was an honor to do it. “He desperately wanted to have children,” he explained to the British media News of the World.
Lester’s statements were never verified. Some media include them in the list of “conspiracy theories” that suggest that Michael Jackson’s children are, in fact, someone else’s. It is something that is not known today.
Rowe is currently 65 years old. Since 2014, she has been in a relationship with music producer and former cameraman Marc Schaffel, who worked with Jackson on her single “What More Can I Give”, written to raise funds for survivors of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
