The personal relationships of Michael Jackson have been the subject of public and media attention for several decades. He was introduced to the topic of sexual activity at the age of 9 while a member of the Jackson 5. He and his brothers would perform at strip clubs , sharing the bill with female strippers and drag queens , and the sexual adventures of his brothers with groupies further affected Jackson's early life.
It was reported that his first girlfriend was actress Tatum O'Neal , when he was a teenager in the s. However, Tatum O'Neal had stated that their relationship was strictly platonic. In recent years, singer and actress Stephanie Mills had revealed herself to be Jackson's first girlfriend, their relationship starting when they first met at the production of The Wiz.
Jackson was then rumored to have entered a platonic relationship with actress and model Brooke Shields in Shields later stated that they both held an equal admiration for each other, but that he started to become more asexual and distant towards her. Presley supported Jackson as he became dependent on pain medication, and eventually helped convince him to enter drug rehabilitation.
In a telephone call, he proposed marriage to Presley. She agreed, and the two wed on May 26, , at a private ceremony in the Dominican Republic. Married life for the couple was difficult, and the union ended in divorce in August Presley and Jackson continued to date, on and off, for four more years after their divorce.
Throughout his marriage with Presley, Jackson maintained a friendship with Debbie Rowe. She was the assistant of the pop singer's dermatologist and had been treating his appearance-changing disease vitiligo since the mids, and while he was separated from but still married to Presley. Rowe suffered a miscarriage and lost their baby in March Following the ordeal and the finalization of his first divorce, Jackson wed the pregnant Rowe on November 15, , in Sydney , Australia. Jackson and Rowe divorced in April , with Rowe giving full custody rights of the children to Jackson.
