Michael Jackson's Wives: All About His Marriages to Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe

Julie TremaineSun, April 26, 2026 at 12:30 PM UTC

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Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Jackson on September 5, 1994 in Versailles, France; Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe in July 1997 in France.Credit: Stephane Cardinale/Sygma via Getty; Balkis Press/ABACA/Shutterstock -

Michael Jackson was married twice, first to Lisa Marie Presley, then to Debbie Rowe

He secretly wed Presley in 1994, but they split less than two years later

Jackson welcomed two children with Rowe, whom he wed in 1996

In his early years, pop superstar Michael Jackson was romantically linked to actresses Brooke Shields and Tatum O’Neal — but he surprised the world when he married his first wife, Lisa Marie Presley, in a secret ceremony in 1994.

"My marriage to Michael Jackson took place in a private ceremony outside the United States weeks ago," Presley said in a statement at the time. "I am very much in love with Michael, I dedicate my life to being his wife. I understand and support him. We both look forward to raising a family."

The wedding came a year after Jackson was first accused of sexual misconduct with minors. The allegations first surfaced in 1993 and followed him throughout the rest of his life, including during a 2005 child molestation trial in which he was acquitted on all charges.

Jackson and Presley were married for just under two years until their split, after which the singer wed Debbie Rowe. The couple had two children, son Prince and daughter Paris, before divorcing in 2000. The singer had another son via surrogate in 2002, Bigi, before his death a few years later.

Now, Jackson's life is being immortalized in the biopic Michael, in which his nephew Jaafar Jackson plays the "Thriller" singer. However, the film only focuses on the beginning of Jackson's career and doesn't cover his two relationships or the controversies that plagued his later years.

Here’s everything to know about Michael Jackson’s two marriages.

Lisa Marie Presley

Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Jackson.Credit: Patrick Robert/Sygma/CORBIS/Sygma via Getty

Jackson met Lisa Marie Presley when she was only 7 years old at one of her father Elvis Presley’s concerts in Las Vegas. At the time, Jackson was 17 and still a member of the Jackson 5. They didn’t reconnect until years later and married in a secret ceremony in the Dominican Republic in 1994, just weeks after her divorce from Danny Keough.

The wedding was a surprise to many, including members of both their families, and the couple faced enormous scrutiny in the press. Jackson’s attorney, Johnnie Cochran, said at the time that his inner circle was "happily surprised," but no one in Jackson or Presley’s family made a public comment.

In September 1994, the pair appeared at the MTV Video Music Awards, sharing a kiss on stage.

"Just think, nobody thought this would last," he said. In 1995, the pair appeared in the video for his song “You Are Not Alone.”

During their marriage, Jackson and Presley spent time at his Neverland Ranch in California’s Santa Ynez Valley, and often had Presley’s two children, Benjamin and Riley Keough, with them. “I spent more time at Neverland than Graceland, to be honest,” Riley told Vanity Fair in 2023. “That was a real home, whereas Graceland was a museum in my lifetime."

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The home had amusement park rides and exotic animals, and was modeled after Disneyland. “In hindsight, I can see how crazy these things would be to somebody from the outside,” she added. “But when you’re living in them, it’s just your life and your family.”

“You just remember the love, and I had real love for Michael,” Riley said.

Presley filed for divorce in February 1996, though the former pair reportedly remained friendly.

“He was an amazing person and I am lucky to have gotten as close to him as I did and to have had the many experiences and years that we had together," she wrote after his 2009 death. "I desperately hope that he can be relieved from his pain, pressure and turmoil now. He deserves to be free from all of that and I hope he is in a better place or will be.”

Debbie Rowe

Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe in 1997 in Paris, France.Credit: Michel Dufour/WireImage

Rowe and Jackson first met in the 1980s, when she was a nurse working as an assistant to his dermatologist. They became friends, but there were no public appearances indicating they were a couple before they married in November 1996 in Australia.

During the marriage, the couple had two kids. Son Prince was born on Feb. 13, 1997, followed by daughter Paris on April 3, 1998. After their divorce in 2000, Rowe retreated from the spotlight to a ranch in Palmdale, Calif., while Jackson had custody of the children.

In 2003, she spoke to Britain’s GMTV about her lack of a relationship with Prince and Paris, saying, “Because you give birth, because you impregnate someone, that does not automatically give you that title of mother or father. My kids don’t call me Mom because I don’t want them to.”

After Jackson’s 2009 death, Rowe attempted to reach the family. “Debbie was absolutely devastated by Michael’s death,” Marc Schaffel, a friend of Rowe’s, told PEOPLE in 2009. “They had an incredible bond and friendship even prior to the marriage ... Debbie was a very good friend to Michael during all those years.”

Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, successfully petitioned the court for custody of his kids following his death; in his will, Jackson named his mother as his children’s guardian. In her petition, Katherine claimed that the kids “have no relationship with their biological mother” and “have a long established relationship” with their grandmother.

“At the end of the day, Debbie just wants what’s best for the children,” Schaffel told PEOPLE. “Her interest is that the children are going to be taken care of.”

As a teenager, Paris established a relationship with Rowe, and the two have occasionally shared photos of their time spent together since.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”