Michael Jackson And Wife, Debbie Rowe, Agree To Divorce In L.A

Jet, Oct 25, 1999

Michael Jackson and his second wife, Debbie Rowe, recently decided to call a halt to their three-year marriage and filed for divorce in Los Angeles, citing irreconcilable differences.

The couple issued a statement that read: "Michael Jackson and his wife, Debbie Rowe Jackson, have mutually agreed to end their marriage. Divorce papers were filed today. Michael and Debbie remain friends, and they ask that the public respect their desire not to further comment or speculate upon the reasons for their decision."

Jackson and Rowe have two children, Paris Michael Katherine, born in April 1998 and Prince, born in February 1997. Jackson, 41, married Rowe in 1996 following his divorce from Lisa Marie Presley. Rowe, a nurse, had worked in the office of Jackson's Los Angeles dermatologist. The Associated Press reported that Mrs. Rowe Jackson was pregnant when the two wed.

The L.A. Times reported that the couple has been separated since July 15. The paper also reported that to blunt reports that he and Rowe were living apart, he told a London newspaper last April: "I love my wife, and we have a happy marriage."

Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of music legend Elvis Presley, were married for just under two years.

Neither Jackson nor Rowe has elaborated on the statement released about the divorce. Howard J. Rubenstein, a spokesman for Jackson, offered no additional information regarding the settlement or custody.

During their marriage, it was often reported that the children spent most their time with Jackson away from Los Angeles and traveled with him while his wife generally remained in southern California.