30 Years Ago Today, This Musical Superstar's Surprise Australian Wedding Shocked The World

Today is the 30-year wedding anniversary of a union nobody saw coming. Michael Jackson was one star who always piqued public interest and he frequently had the world asking plenty of questions. Folks were particularly interested when the superstar unexpectedly tied the knot with someone he'd never even been publicly linked to before. Michael Jackson's relationship with Lisa Marie Presley existed somewhat in the public eye. The celebrity couple married in the Dominican Republic in 1994, and divorced just two years later. A short-lived marriage with another star that involved an onstage kiss at the MTV Video Music Awards was what most people expected from someone like Jackson. 

The "Thriller"  hitmaker's second marriage, on the other hand, was quite different. In the '80s, Jackson met Debbie Rowe, a nurse at his dermatologist's office. They became friends, and to most people's shock, tied the knot the very same year Jackson and Presley officially called it quits. The happy couple got married in Sydney, Australia on November 14, 1996. Just three months after that, they welcomed their first child, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr.

In 1998, Debbie Rowe and Michael Jackson welcomed their second child, Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson. But, just a year later, the couple divorced. This unusual timeline fueled gossip and sparked many rumors about Michael Jackson's kids that were hard to ignore. In 2009, Rowe spoke to British tabloid News of the World about their short-lived relationship. "Michael was divorced, lonely and wanted children," she clarified. "I was the one who said to him, 'I will have your babies,'" (via the Boston Herald). "I offered him my womb — it was a gift," Rowe elaborated, adding, "It was something I did to keep him happy." 

The King of Pop had full custody of the two kids, and Rowe reportedly had no relationship with them. As she told GMTV, in 2003, "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," (via People). Michael died in 2009. Debbie Rowe is almost a septuagenarian. And, while she has laid low since her famous ex's death, social media posts showcase she has developed a close relationship with Paris.