HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Michael Jackson’s ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, will be attending Tuesday’s public memorial service for the music icon.
Marc Schaffel, a former Jackson business associate, confirmed on Monday’s “Good Morning America” that Rowe received VIP tickets for the event, which will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
“We just got confirmation last night from the people who are handling the VIP seats that they do have Debbie’s seats and she will be attending,” said Schaffel.
Rowe married Jackson in 1996 and filed for divorce three years later. She is the mother of the late singer’s two oldest children, Prince Michael, 12, and Paris, 11. Jackson also has a third child, Prince Michael II (Blanket), 7, whose mother is a never disclosed surrogate. Currently, all three children are under the care of Jackson’s 79-year-old mother, Katherine, who was awarded temporary guardianship in court.
Last week, Rowe told NBCLA’s Chuck Henry during a 90-minute phone conversation that she planned to seek custody of the children. Her attorney, Eric George, later said that Rowe “has not reached a final decision concerning the custody proceedings.”
A hearing on the custody matter has been scheduled for July 13.
When asked if Rowe had been in contact with the Jackson family, Schaffel said she had reached out on several occasions but was unsuccessful.
“There has been outreach, unfortunately, like so many cases, there’s so much going on that they just have not been able to make contact,” he said. “There were several tries, just for the fact of phone numbers that had changed, you know, answering machines that were full. Contact had not been able to happen prior.”
