Chapter 8
A Family of His Own
Michael had never dated much. For a short time, he went out with Tatum O’Neal. She had been a child actress and was the daughter of a movie actor. Michael liked Tatum because she understood what it was like to be a child in show business.
A few years later, Michael went on dates with Brooke Shields. She too had been famous both as a child model and an actress. After that, he didn’t have a girlfriend.
But when troubles came up in his life, he wanted someone who could help him and understand him. He was terribly lonely. He had lost touch with Diana Ross. He was taking drugs—prescription drugs, but he was taking too many of them. He needed help.
Michael called his friend Lisa Marie Presley. She was the daughter of Elvis Presley, the first rock superstar. Michael and Lisa Marie had been friends for years. Now they talked on the phone a lot while he was out of the country on tour. One day, on the phone, Michael asked Lisa if she would marry him. Lisa was married to someone else at the time. But she said yes. She would marry him after she got a divorce.
On May 26, 1994, Michael and Lisa Marie had a very secret wedding. It was in the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean. Michael didn’t even tell his mother about the wedding. Lisa didn’t tell her family, either.
When they came back to America, Lisa and Michael kept the wedding secret for months. Michael knew that when the secret got out, there would be lots of publicity—and he was right.
The marriage lasted less than two years. One possible reason it ended was that Michael wanted to have children. But Lisa already had children. They divorced in 1996. But they stayed friends for a long time after that.
Michael remained determined to have children. If Lisa wouldn’t have his baby, Michael would find someone else who would. The person he chose was another friend, a nurse named Debbie Rowe. Michael had met her at his skin doctor’s office. Michael and Debbie talked on the phone all the time. When Debbie agreed to have Michael’s baby and give it to him, he was thrilled.
He gave her lots of money and bought her a million-dollar house. He was very grateful that she was willing to have children with him without being his wife.
Michael’s mother had a different idea, though. When Katherine found out that Debbie was pregnant, she wanted Michael to marry Debbie. Michael had always loved and respected his mother. He knew she was very religious. He couldn’t say no to her about this.
So on November 13, Michael and Debbie got married in a hotel in Australia. Only about fifteen friends were there with them. Debbie and Michael both wore black.
On February 13, 1997, Debbie had a baby boy. Michael named him Prince Michael Jackson. People thought the name was too fancy. Did Michael think his son was royalty? No. The truth was that Michael’s own grandfather and great-grandfather were both named Prince. It was a family name.
Michael took the baby home to Neverland alone—without Debbie. A staff of nannies and nurses took care of the baby. Debbie never lived with Michael. She didn’t act like the baby’s mother.
Then on April 3, 1998, Debbie had another baby with Michael. This one was a girl. They named her Paris. The baby’s full name was Paris Katherine Michael Jackson.
Again, Michael raised the baby without Debbie. She only saw the children a few times. Finally, Debbie decided she didn’t want to be married to Michael any longer. She and Michael divorced in 1999.
A few years later, Michael announced to the world that he had a third baby. This time, Debbie wasn’t the mother. Michael wouldn’t say who the mother was. The baby boy was born on February 21, 2002. Michael named him Prince Michael II. His nickname was “Blanket.” After that, Michael’s older son was known as Prince Michael I.
Now Michael had a family, just as he had wanted. Would his life be easier? Were happier times ahead?
Sadly, the answer was no.