1993-2000 Lisa Marie Presley

Reports Surfacing About Michael Considering Divorce, New Straits Times, Dec 1, 1994


Pop superstar Michael Jackson and his wife Lisa Marie Presley are to divorce Just six months after their marriage, the Daily Mirror said today.

The british tabloid said Jackson had instructed lawyers to file divorce papers after complaining that his wife was ”invading his space”.

Lisa Marie, daughter of rock ‘n roll king Elivs Presley, plans to move back from Los Angeles to New York, it said.

The Daily Mirror billing its story as a world exclusive, quoted a source in Jackson’s entourage as saying the reclusive star had complained: ”He cannot go anywhere or do anything without her.”

“the idea of marriage was better than marriage itself. When Michael was facing possible child molestation charges, his life turned upside down,” the source said.

”During that time, he talked to Lisa Marie nearly every day on the phone… Since Lisa Marie was always there for him it was logical he’d ask her to marry him. But Michael does things on the spur of the moment and he lives to regret it. The reason he wants out is that he wants his privacy,” the source added.-Reuter

Lisa Marie Denies Tabloid Reports About a Divorce, Dec 2nd 1994


The official word, direct from Lisa Marie Presley: She and husband Michael Jackson are not registered at the Heartbreak Hotel. Michael did not tell Lisa to beat it.

“Once again, the media is being very irresponsible and spreading false rumors,” the daughter of rock ‘n’ roll king Elvis Presley she said. “Michael and I are very happily married . . . These rumors, in spite of their wishful and destructive thinking, are totally unfounded and false.”

What’s happened to the Graceland-Neverland love thing?

Jackson biographer Christopher Andersen said the marriage was “a scam” from Day 1, and now Lisa Marie wants out.

Gossip columnist Liz Smith intimates Michael viewed the nuptials as a “public relations coup,” but Lisa Marie fell in love and now Michael wants out.

Spends Christmas with Lisa in Neverland, December 24/25, 1994


Michael makes a break in the recording sessions to enjoy the holidays with Lisa Marie and her children at Neverland.

Michael and Lisa meet King Ndoufou in LA, January 20-24, 1995


Michael and Lisa Marie welcome King Nana Amon Ndoufou in Los Angeles.

Michael practices choreography at LMP’s house, April-May 95

MJ practices choreography with Travis Payne at LM residence

Michael and Lisa go to Six Flags, May 25, 1995


Michael, Lisa Marie and her daughter Danielle go to the Six Flags Amusement Park in Los Angeles.

Michael and Lisa Marie give interview on Primetime to Diane Sawyer, June 14, 1995


Michael and Lisa Marie give an interview to ABC’s Primetime Live with Diane Sawyer. Lisa Marie later says that after this interview the marriage began to fall apart.

Excerpt from Child Bride, June 1995

As Lisa and Michael prepared to do their much-publicized, hugely anticipated and widely watched July 14, 1995 interview with Diane Sawyer on Primetime Live answering questions about their bizarre marriage, Lisa was seen coming out of the president’s office at the Celebrity Centre in the Hollywood Hills the afternoon before, where she was being advised on how to handle the questions and answers. Another one of Lisa’s childhood friends, Dana Rosenfeld, watched the interview, along with most of America, and was stunned. “My only take on that is that for so long she was hidden from everybody and nobody knew anything, and what better way to just catapult yourself to the center of the media’s attention than to marry someone like that?”

“It was right after the Diane Sawyer show that things started going bad,” says Monica Pastelle. “Lisa started to wonder if she’d made a mistake in choosing him as a life partner. The great sex continued, though. It was the thing that made it difficult for her to see straight where he was concerned. Whatever was going on in the privacy of their bedroom was enough to keep her hooked into the relationship. However, things were getting strained. When they weren’t in bed making love, they were fighting.”

Said James Cruse, who knew her well at the time: “It was embarrassing for her to constantly defend his actions, always explaining that he was not a pedophile, he was misunderstood, he was a child at heart, blah, blah, blah… the same stuff you always hear about the guy. He didn’t seem to care that it was hard on her. He just wanted to live his life the way he had always lived it. “What I do is none of your business,” he told her. That really set her off. “How can you say that? Of course it’s my business,” she told him. “You’re my husband. You’re my business.”

Life and Hello feature on MJ/LMP, photos taken by Harry Benson, June 15, 1995


Both Life and Hello carry the same pictures of Michael and Lisa kissing (taken by Harry Benson)

Michael’s HIStory album is released, June 16th, 1995


Dedication to Lisa Marie: “To Lisa Marie. Your being provides the star that brightens my galaxy and the force that strengthens me. Love, Michael.”

Lisa vacations with ex-husband and kids to Hawaii, Sometime between June 16-July 10, 1995


Lisa Marie goes on holiday with her children and ex-husband Danny Keough to Hawaii.

The rumors of separation between Michael Jackson and his wife arose last July when Lisa Marie took two weeks vacation in Hawaii with his mother and two children, Danielle and Benjamin, aged six and two years. The former husband of Lisa, Danny Keough, joined them to spend two days with them. He was then seen repeatedly in the company of Lisa Marie and children, which immediately led people to conclude that they were about to reconcile and form a family again. As Michael was not there, the rumor mill was soon to start.

Oprah 2010:

L: And I did things that hurt him. I did stupid things too.
O: Like what?
L: Like, I was very torn because I broke up my family. I left my husband for Michael. I was having a hard time trying to process that.
(Lisa Marie was twenty years old when she married her first husband musician Danny Keough. Together they had two children, Riley and Ben. After more than five years together Lisa Marie divorced Danny. Twenty days later she was married again to Michael Jackson.)
O: While I was with Michael I was still trying to process what I had done. I never could feel good about it. I felt like, how could I have done that to somebody and I have these two little ones. Danny was still very much part of my life. Michael didn’t quite know what to do with that sometimes. That made him uncomfortable and I understood that. Michael would wonder, “Why are you in Hawaii with Danny?” I’d take a vacation and Danny would go. Michael would get upset and “Where are you?” and he would disappear for a couple of weeks and I couldn’t find him. Things would make him uncomfortable and when I would do things that would make Michael uncomfortable, if he got uncomfortable or felt vulnerable, he would ice you out as a mechanism. He would push you away and ice you. It was like a shark sometimes in that way, he could just like that, if you’d done him wrong or whatever, you were out. We had some moments like that. But I have to say in retrospect. that he honestly tried so hard and went through so much with me, and I know now when I look back at it, he’s never done that with any other female or anyone as much as we went through. We hit rough waters, we would fight, we would argue, three day arguments sometimes, taking a break to eat and sleep. I have to say that I really admire that he really gave it a good shot, you know, I didn’t appreciate it then and I wish I did.

MJ and Lisa attend opening of Magic Johnson Theatre, July 10, 1995


Michael and Lisa Marie attend the opening of the Magic Johnson Sony Theatre in Los Angeles .

MJ and Lisa shoot video for You Are Not Alone, July 12, 1995


Michael and Lisa Marie shoot the video for You Are Not Alone and they also appear on the cover of Jet magazine. The director says that Michael was too shy to ask her to participate himself, but considering there was tension between them at the time, it might have had less to do with him being shy and more to do with the relationship being strained.

Michael is a fan of Maxfield Parrish’s 1922 painting “Daybreak,” which was what inspired their YANA video.

Director of YANA, Wayne Isham, videostatic.com interview:


“Having done videos for so long, nothing strikes me as strange anymore. Everything has a unique twist. But, the one that ranks at the top is probably Michael Jackson “You Are Not Alone.” We had planned out all these elements for the video and then Michael had this idea where he wanted to use this Greek, classical-styled, artistic imagery. And, he wanted to appear in it naked with his wife, Lisa Marie Presley. Like they were Greek gods. It had nothing to do with the video we were doing, but I said, “OK, that’s cool. We can shoot it.” We set it up and as we’re ready to shoot, he leads me into the trailer and says,

“Have you asked her?” He wanted me to ask her to appear in the video. He was too shy. So I asked. And we did it.”

It took 5 days to complete shooting of the clip “You Are Not Alone”, plus another 5 days to edit and create the special effects.

According to director Wayne Isham, the very last scene of Michael and Lisa Marie was filmed without the couple’s knowledge.

Another interview with director Isham, from B&W 1998


Famous for filming the You Are Not Alone short film, Backstreet Boys’ I Want It That Way and Ricky Martin’s “Living La Vida Loca , video director Wayne Isham was interviewed by Black & White Magazine in 1998. Here is an excerpt from that interview.

“The warmth displayed in the You Are Not Alone video is for real. The shots in the last scene were done without Michael and Lisa Marie knowing it, literally off-camera. Michael never at any point indicated that this was a marketing thing. It was more personal than that. The nude scenes were Michael’s idea. I thought it was ballsy and honest; you can’t get any more open than that. They’re saying, “Here we are, you want to see us?” I didn’t look at it as a marketing thing. I thought it was a statement.

The funny thing about my relation with Michael is that I did one of my first jobs serving as an electrician on the Billie Jean video!

He was great to work with. When you actually talk to Michael he really is a normal guy; there’s just a lot of layers to go through. And Lisa’s got a great sense of humor. They’re both no-nonsense kind of people.

Debbie Rowe’s friend Tonya Watts says that Debbie was also on the set, from her myspace


So She took me to Gower Studio where he was shooting a music video. He works at night so we went around 11pm. I was so nervous (only he and Dolly would make me nervous).. We arrived and his body guards led us to a trailer. She went in and left me outside of the trailer for a while. Finally, she opened the door and called me in.. She said “Michael this is Tonya Tonya this is Michael”. he shook my hand.. and I said the dumbest shit ever… ” “should I faint now or later” giggle giggle.. He then said “listen to her laugh.”. so I sat in the corner in a chair while she, Michael and the makeup artist all carry on while he is getting his makeup done… not many people can say they have done that.. he is very private about his makeup affairs ha ha

Off to the set we went… I was so shy and trailed behind.. He stopped and waited on me.. Such a gentleman.. We did go in his personal trailer and there was candy all over the place..just as I would have imagined . We soon had to leave cuz Lisa Marie was on her way. She was in that video and well, it was time to go.

After a fight with Lisa, Michael flies out to Disneyland, July 31-August 6, 1995


After an argument with Lisa Marie, Michael flies to Disneyland Paris and doesn’t see or speak to Lisa Marie for 6 weeks.

She tells Rolling Stone in 2003: “He got upset and he would just disappear.”

Feature on MJ and Lisa, Q Magazine, August 1995


There’s also the event that was bizarre even by Jackson standards, and, the cynic might believe, the main weapon in the PR fightback: the marriage of the King of Pop to the daughter of the King, Lisa Marie Presley.

Janis de Silva: I was happy, very happy for him. I was just jumping with joy. I think Lisa Marie’s a very lucky woman because Michael’s very, very romantic. I was in the studio just last Sunday and he was on the phone three times to Lisa within an hour. They are very much in love and anyone who doesn’t believe that is just stupid.

Isn’t the marriage just part of some big scheme to rehabilitate Michael?

Michael would not marry somebody just for the sake of publicity or he would have done that years ago when they were saying he’d had a sex change and that he was gay.

Kevin Smith: We actually knew about it. We have great sources within the ranch now. We had all the documentation proving it was Lisa Marie but no one would print the story. No one in the world believed it.

It looks like a stunt but there’s one thing which makes me believe that it wasn’t. He was seeing her behind closed doors. If it was purely just a publicity stunt, then you’d do it for the cameras. So I think there is some truth to the fact that they are close.

You Are Not Alone released, August 15, 1995


You Are Not Alone is released as a single and directly reaches number 1 on the Billboard.

Michael Jackson Simulchat (during their separation)- August 17, 1995


Bruce Ross: How has your marriage to Lisa Marie changed your life?

Michael: I think I find it more fun to appreciate what family really means. The fact that even though there were ten of us Jacksons…we were always doing things at different times, and I’m really learning the real meaning of love. Giving 100% of yourself all the time. Putting up with one another. So far it has been pretty joyous.

Sam: A story in the UK press claims a quickie divorce on the way. Is it true?

Michael: Never believe tabloid garbage. Don’t waste your time, don’t waste your money. No, it’s not true. If you hear it from my lips, then you can believe it. But no, it’s not true.

SiBiS: In Oprah’s interview you said that you wanted to raise a family one day. Do you plan to do so?

Michael: Yes. That’s my dream for a long time. My own children, I want to adopt them. Not only my own, but children from all over the world. I think we should be less territorial about it.

Kurt: How did you like working with your sister Janet on the “Scream” video and your beautiful wife Lisa Marie on “You Are Not Alone”? P.S: Best of luck to you two, don’t listen to all the B.S going around!

Michael: That’s a great question. The press creates all of these negative stories so people will buy their magazines or read their columns. You mustn’t read everything you read. Most of it is not true, most of it’s garbage. And I want everyone to be aware of what the tabloid media is like. I have had so much fun working with my sister and working on the set everyday. I haven’t seen her in quite some time and she is busy and I am as well and it’s like a reunion. I’m closest to Janet of all the family members. We were very emotional on the set. We laughed, we cried, we had a lot of fun. Everyday she’d come to me sad because of something in the press. I told her she’d just have to become resiliant. I had a lot of fun with Lisa Marie on the set. But when the director said, “Action”, she became very shy. I was giving her a hard time too!

Rumors of divorce, The Mirror, August 19, 1995


If it’s Saturday, it must be time to air another [LISA MARIE] Presley-Michael Jackson rumor. This time rumor central has it that Lisa Marie plans to divorce.

Lisa’s spokesperson denies those reports, Buffalo News, Aug 20, 1995


Spokesmen have denied a British report, attributed to an unnamed aide of Lisa Marie Presley, that the daughter of the king of rock ‘n’ roll wanted a divorce.

More rumors of divorce, Seen, Heard, Said, August 28, 1995


Mommy rumors are surfacing again for Lisa Marie. This info comes during the couple’s heated denial that Lisa Marie wants a divorce and in fact was seen walking on a beach with ex-hubby Danny Keough. A source tells The Star that Danny is saying, “It’s not a matter of if she’ll get divorced – it’s just a matter of when.”

Danny and Lisa vacation together in Hawaii with their children, August 1995


The scene is Hawaii’s plush Mauna Lani Bay resort. A happy young couple kiss and cuddle as they stroll along a pebble beach.

Then the young man spells out his undying love in white lava rocks, meticulously arranging them to say “Dan loves Lisa.”

Locals and tourists who saw the romantic happening say they suddenly realized the lovers were Lisa Marie Presley and her former husband Danny Keough – back together and openly flaunting their passion for each other.

It was the second time within a couple of months that Lisa Marie and Danny had got together in Hawaii – and both times there was no sign of Lisa Marie’s superstar husband Michael Jackon.

“They were walking hand in hand on the beach, for all the world like teenagers in love,” says restaurant boss Jim Keir.

“Danny was all over her, kissing her neck and caressing her.”

The news has come as a crushing blow to Michael, who has privately warned Lisa Marie to cool it with Danny. But publicly he has denied there is anything wrong with his wife wanting to spend time with her ex.

In a recent interview with Women’s Day, Michael said he had no concerns over Lisa Marie’s trip to Hawaii with Danny and their children, Danielle six and two year old Benjamin.

“Lisa Marie went to Hawaii with Danny. That was okay with me,” said Michael. “In fact, I wanted her to go. Lisa Marie’s kids love their dad. They wanted to have a reunion with him.”

They were spotted canoodling at the Mama Yu Japanese restaurant where a perky Lisa Marie stunned inquisitive diners by saying, “It’s okay, we were married once!”

Waitress Carla Sartori 19 says, “If they’re divorced then maybe all couples should split! hey were just totally in love.”

Jim Keir says, “Lisa Marie looked radiant. She was close to tears when Danny spelled out his love for her on the beach. And he was like a dog with two tails. Visitors who seal their love with lava rocks like that – well, local tradition has it that they stay in love for all time.”

Michael performs at VMAs, September 7, 1995


Michael attends the MTV Video Music Awards in New York City . He opens the ceremony with a 20 minutes long medley (including Dangerous & You Are Not Alone) and accepts an award with Janet for Scream.

Lisa Marie tells Rolling Stone in 2003; She says that after about a month without any contact, his people started calling, saying that it was important that she show up at the MTV Video Music Awards. She agreed to show up if she didn’t have to go down the red carpet; they consented, and then led her down it anyway. “I was pissed. I just felt like I was being used at that point.” She was then told that he was going to sing to her and that he had a surprise for her. “I remember my whole look was: ‘Don’t you come anywhere fucking near me — we haven’t spoken in a month.’ And he got it. He didn’t come over. I talked to him later and he said, ‘I saw the look on your face, and I knew that if I walked up to you, I didn’t know what you were going to do me.’ ”

Magic Madness, September, 1995


In September 1995 rumors surfaced that Michael and Lisa Marie were ending their marriage, causing an international firestorm of headlines. I managed to get Michael on the telephone for an interview for the Australian magazine, Women’s Day, to check it out. “Let me just say this,” he told me, impatiently. “No. No. No. No. These stories are damn lies made up by people who hope they’ll get lucky with one of them and hit it big.”

I asked if he wanted to further respond to reports that Lisa did not know about his vacation in Paris with the Cascio brothers. [Blognote: Michael vacationed with the entire Cascio family: both parents, and daughter Marie Nicole, his cousins and another family] “Like I wouldn’t have told her? “ Michael asked. “Like she wouldn’t read about it anyway, or see us photographed by every newspaper photographer in the world? Neither one of us could have kept a secret from the other, even if we wanted to,” he said. “We’re so happy,” he added of his marriage. “We do it our way. I don’t know if it’s conventional. My parents have been married for forty years. Is their marriage conventional? Were Lisa’s parents in a conventional marriage? I don’t think so. I love being married, knowing that Lisa’s there,” he continued. “She’s strong. She’s smart. She’s on my side, listens to me, understands me, understands my world.”