Deborah Jeanne Rowe is an American former nurse best known as Michael Jackson’s second wife and the mother of his two eldest children, Prince Michael and Paris Jackson. Although thrust into the limelight, she has largely chosen a life away from public attention.
Early Life & Education
Debbie Rowe was born on December 6, 1958, in Spokane, Washington. Debbie Rowe was raised by her mother, aunts, and grandmother after her parents’ early separation.
She graduated from Hollywood High School in 1977 and later worked as a dermatology assistant and nurse under Dr. Arnold Klein in Los Angeles.
Deborah Jeanne Rowe’s Career
Rowe spent her early career assisting at a dermatology clinic, a role that set the stage for meeting Michael Jackson during his vitiligo treatments in the mid-1980s. This professional connection evolved into a friendship and later a marriage.
Personal Life
After her divorce from her first husband, Richard Edelman (1982–1988), Deborah Jeanne Rowe married Michael Jackson in November 1996 in Sydney, Australia. Her decision to bear his children came during a time when he longed for fatherhood.
She gave birth to Prince Michael Jackson Jr. (February 1997) and Paris Jackson (April 1998), both via artificial insemination, and never lived with Jackson as a traditional couple.
Their marriage ended in divorce in 2000. Rowe relinquished custody and received an $8 million settlement plus a house in Beverly Hills; she signed a prenuptial agreement, which influenced property division.
In later years, she sought to reverse the termination of her parental rights but received limited supervised visitation, and following Jackson’s death in 2009, she reached a visitation arrangement with his mother, Katherine Jackson.
Rowe faced a breast cancer diagnosis in 2016 and completed treatment in 2017, focusing on privacy and recovery since then.
Net Worth
Deborah Jeanne Rowe’s net worth is estimated to be in the $20–22 million range, largely stemming from her divorce settlement with Michael Jackson—though she has remained discreet about her finances.
