Presley marriage to Jackson breaking up

LISA MARIE PRESLEY has filed for divorce from the pop star Michael Jackson to end a 19 month marriage linking two of the biggest…

LISA MARIE PRESLEY has filed for divorce from the pop star Michael Jackson to end a 19 month marriage linking two of the biggest names in the music industry, a spokesman said.

The office of Ms Presley's publicist, Mr Paul Bloch, said that she had filed for divorce in a Los Angeles court citing "irreconcilable differences".

The couple has been separated since December 10th, according to the divorce suit she filed in a California court.

According to the American news channel CNN, Ms Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley and his sole heir, has sought a divorce from Jackson citing differences that could not be reconciled.

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The couple were married in 1994 in the Dominican Republic.

The marriage took place when Jackson was at a low point in his career following molestation charges made by a 13 year old boy in August 1993.

Amid the ensuing controversy the singer cancelled a concert in Singapore and finally abandoned a world tour.

Represented by the celebrity lawyer Mr Johnnie Cochran the singer settled out of court in January 1994 with the boy and his family. The amount was undisclosed, but press reports put it at up to $25 million.

In September 1994, prosecutors dropped a criminal investigation in the absence of people willing to come forward to testify. "In the meantime Mr Jackson had admitted to an addiction to painkillers and tranquillisers.

Soon after settling the molestation case, Jackson was back in the headlines, stunning a sceptical public by announcing his marriage to Lisa Marie Presley then 26.

Ms Presley is heiress to a fortune estimated at $100 million.