Deborah Jeanne Rowe

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Deborah Jeanne Rowe (born 6 December 1958) was the dermatologist's nurse who married singer Michael Jackson, and bore two children for him: son Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr. (who publicly goes by the name "Prince"), and a daughter, Paris Katherine Jackson. Rowe and Jackson were married on 15 November 1996 in Sydney, Australia. They were divorced on 8 October 1999. She currently lives in Beverly Hills, California.

At the time of their divorce, which became final in 2000, she filed to terminate her parental rights. In 2001 the court accepted her declaration in which she said, "Michael has been a wonderful father to the children, and I do not wish to share any parenting responsibilities with Michael because he is doing so well without me." According to court documents, she said, "I want to forever give up any and all rights pertaining to the children because I believe that by doing so, it is in the children's best interest." Before that, she said in documents, Jackson had allowed her visitation rights only if she went to distant locations such as Geneva and South Africa.

After Jackson's arrest in 2003 she filed for temporary custody alleging that she became concerned that during the criminal case, Jackson would be too distracted to care for the children. She also said she was disturbed by his association with the Nation of Islam, whose leader she believed was anti-Semitic. "I am Jewish, as are -- by definition -- my children. I worried about how my children would be treated by these new advisers to Michael," she said.

Rowe testified for Jackson at his molestation trial, describing him as a loving and caring father. She said in documents that she last saw the children in 2005 and had not seen them since Jackson left the United States shortly after his trial ended in acquittal on all charges. Jackson has been living abroad since then.

In the summer of 2006 she petitioned the court to restore her parental rights and grant her custody of the two children. On September 6, 2006, a judge ruled that Jackson must pay Rowe $60,000 in attorney fees from the custody battle. On September 29, 2006, Deborah Rowe's lawyer, Marta Almli, announced that a "settlement of all the issues" had been reached in the child custody (visitation) and breach of contract case between Rowe and Jackson.

Jackson also has a third child, Prince Michael II. The boy's mother has not been identified.