Who is Debbie Rowe?
Deborah Jeanne Rowe is the ex-wife of Michael Jackson, the pop icon. She met Jackson while working for his dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein, after a difficult divorce from her first husband. Rowe, who had been a long-time fan of the musician before they met, looked after him on his visits to Dr. Klein, and the two quickly became friends.
After Jackson’s marriage to Lisa Marie Presley fell up, she volunteered to bear his child. She fell pregnant soon after, and they married three months before their son was born. They also had a daughter later on. When they split in 1999, she relinquished all custody rights to Jackson, thereby making him the sole parent of their two children. She became one of the pop star’s most ardent followers over the years, especially during the era when he was accused of child molestation. She was granted supervised visitation rights to see her children after Jackson’s death.
Debbie Rowe: Bio, Age, Ethnicity, Sibling
Debbie Rowe was born in Spokane, Washington, to Gordon Rowe and Barbara Chilcutt on December 6, 1958. Her father divorced her mother a few weeks before she turned two. Debbie was raised by her mother, maternal grandmother, and aunts following her father’s death. Through her father, she has a half–sister named Loretta Scarlett Rowe.
She graduated from ‘Hollywood High School’ in 1977. Richard Edelman, her first husband, was a science teacher at ‘Hollywood High,’ and Rowe had a crush on him.
She had been reserved, distant, and lonely since infancy. Her psychological development was significantly hampered as a result of this. She hadn’t reached emotional or sexual maturity until she was far into her twenties. She immediately began working as a medical assistant for Dr. Arnold Klein, a dermatologist in Los Angeles, after completing her schooling. She married Edelman in 1982, but it was a tumultuous union, primarily owing to financial concerns. When the couple was forced to file for bankruptcy in 1988, the marriage eventually fell apart. Rowe divorced Edelman not long after.
Quick Facts
- Also Known As: Deborah Jeanne Rowe
- Age: 63 Years
- Spouse/Ex-: Michael Jackson (M. 1996–1999), Richard Edelman (M. 1982–1988)
- Father: Gordon Rowe
- Mother: Barbara Chilcutt
- Siblings: Loretta Scarlett Rowe (Half-Sister)
- Children: Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., Paris Jackson
- Born Country: United States
- Family Members American Women
- Height: 1.72 M
- U.S. State: Washington
- City: Spokane, Washington
Debbie Rowe Relationship Status
Rowe first encountered Jackson in Klein’s office, where he received treatment for his vitiligo. He was diagnosed with the disease in 1986, and it would have a significant impact on his physical appearance for the rest of his life. Rowe was a kindred spirit for Jackson, whose marriage to Lisa Marie Presley was disintegrating. She backed him up and provided him with the information he needed concerning his medical condition. Jackson initially kept his friendship with Rowe a secret from Presley, but she soon learned of their friendship. She didn’t think much of it, however, because she didn’t think Rowe was glamorous enough to attract Jackson’s attention.
Rowe offered to bear Jackson a child after Presley expressed her refusal to have children. Rowe was artificially inseminated with his sperm after his divorce from Presley. She did, however, experience a miscarriage. Jackson stayed by her side throughout the event, comforting her. Rowe was pregnant with Jackson’s child during the ‘HIStory World Tour’ in October 1996, just months after his divorce from Presley was finalized.
When Jackson’s mother, Katherine, learned of the news, she urged him to marry Rowe so that his child would not be born out of wedlock. The wedding went place on November 13, 1996, after Jackson agreed. Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr. (commonly known as Prince Michael) was their first child, born on February 13, 1997. She gave birth to their daughter, Paris Jackson, a year later, on April 3, 1998.
Divorce and Her Life After Divorce
The couple chose to split after finding that Debbie Rowe would not be able to bear any more children. Michael took full responsibility for the couple’s two children. Despite both sides’ repeated denials that the marriage was solely for financial reasons, it was eventually uncovered that Jackson had paid Rowe millions of dollars. In 1997, he also bought her a $1.3 million Beverly Hills mansion. During their divorce process, which was finalized on October 8, 1999, Rowe totally relinquished her parental rights. In 2001, she gave up her parental rights to the two children.
Rowe went back to court after Jackson was accused of child molestation in 2004 to get the order changed, apparently because she was concerned that the children would be mistreated while Jackson was away. She came out in full support of her ex-husband when it came to child molestation allegations. She sold her Beverly Hills home in 2005 and relocated to Palmdale, where she began breeding horses.
Jackson died of severe propofol and benzodiazepine overdose on June 25, 2009. Rowe issued repeated statements through her attorney, disputing the accusations that she was not the biological mother of his first two children. She won $27,000 in damages after filing a successful case against a source who gave private e-mails to the celebrity news program ‘Extra.’ In August 2009, she and Katherine struck an agreement that allowed her to see her children.
Rowe confirmed her engagement to Marc Schaffel, a music producer, and former cinematographer, in 2014. In 2016, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
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