The Years 1994 to 1997
On 19 February 1994, a Jackson family celebration was held in Las Vegas. Michael did not perform at the event, but he presented two awards to their winners. Lisa Marie Presley was accompanying Michael at the ceremony.
[ Michael Jackson — Lisa Marie Presley]
Earlier, on 2 February, Michael had attended a concert by The Temptations in Las Vegas, together with Lisa Marie Presley.
Michael spent most of his time working on his new album in New York. He had rented a three-bedroom duplex apartment in Trump Tower.
On 26 May 1994, during a ceremony in the Dominican Republic that lasted twelve minutes, Michael Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley.
The officiant of the ceremony was Hugo Francisco Alvarez Perez, and the witnesses were Ava Darling, one of Lisa Marie’s friends, and Thomas Keough, Darling’s husband and Lisa Marie’s former brother-in-law. None of Michael’s family members were present at the ceremony. News of the marriage was not revealed until 11 July of that same year.
[Wedding ceremony]
On 11 July, the media reported Michael Jackson’s marriage to Lisa Marie Presley. The news network CNN stated in a report that three spokespersons for Michael Jackson had strongly denied the news. But Lisa Marie Presley’s spokesperson said nothing about it, because he did not have access to Lisa.
On 1 August 1994, after months of rumors, the news was confirmed. Michael had married Lisa Marie. The bride, in a statement released through MJJ Productions, announced that her name is now Lisa Marie Presley—Jackson. The statement said:
“I love Michael very much, and I dedicate my life to being his wife. I understand him and support him. We both look forward to the day when we will have a family and share a happy and successful life together.“
This official statement revealed nothing about the details of the marriage or the location where it took place.
With this marriage, the two most prominent names in the music performance industry joined together: Jackson and Presley.
The media called Michael Jackson’s marriage to Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of the Rock ’n’ Roll king, “the marriage of the century.”
The controversy that the media created around this marriage was unbelievable. They claimed that Michael used his marriage to Presley to repair his image, which, according to them, had been tarnished after the accusations.
In response to these claims, Michael and Lisa said in an interview that they married each other out of love.
On 8 September 1994, Michael opened the 11th annual MTV Video Music Awards ceremony together with his wife. Their 120-second presence on stage was the most exciting part of the event for those in the hall. For the first time in public, Michael held Lisa Marie tightly in his arms and kissed her lovingly and gently.
[MTV ceremony]
The next day, that kiss became the biggest news event in the media around the world. Some called it the kiss of the century, while others compared it to a famous scene from the film Gone with the Wind, where Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler kiss each other.
On 26 January 1995, Michael was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize with the signatures of more than seventy thousand of his fans, but this news did not make headlines in the press. Michael did not receive the prize.
That same year, a photo of Michael Jackson with a new look, alongside Quincy Jones, was released on the cover of Vibe magazine.
[Vibe magazine]
On 29 May 1995, “Scream,” the first single from Michael’s new album “History,” was released worldwide. Michael performed the song with his sister, Janet.