Odd couples: 7 of the most surprising relationships in music history
Jeff Jenkins
STACK Writer
Thirty years ago today, the music world was shocked by some breaking news: The King of Pop had married the daughter of the King of Rock and Roll.
Tying the knot on May 26, 1994 in the Dominican Republic were Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley.
Lisa Marie issued a statement to the media: “I dedicate my life to being his wife. I understand and support him. We both look forward to raising a family.”
Was this music’s most surprising union?
They married just 20 days after Lisa Marie divorced her first husband, musician Danny Keough. Of Jacko, she said: “I wanted to save him, I felt that I could do it.”
Lisa Marie appeared in the video for Michael’s 1995 single You Are Not Alone – the first song to ever debut at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Alas, Lisa Marie filed for divorce in January 1996, citing irreconcilable differences. And, sadly, they’re both no longer with us – Michael Jackson died in 2009, and Lisa Marie left the building in 2023.
Of course, love is love. It can happen anytime, anywhere, to anyone.
We make no judgement, but here are six more rock ’n’ roll relationships that surprised us. For better and for worse.
Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger
We’re not sure if Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger is a Sk8er Boi, but Avril Lavigne got engaged to her fellow Canadian just one month after they started dating in 2012 and they were married the following year.
Two years later, Lavigne said “See you later, boy”, announcing their split on her Insta page. The couple wrote eight songs together for Avril’s 2013 self-titled album, including Here’s to Never Growing Up.
Axl Rose and Erin Everly
In 1986, Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose started dating Erin Everly, the daughter of Don from pioneering American duo The Everly Brothers. She inspired the Gunners classic Sweet Child O’ Mine and appeared in the video.
They tied the knot in 1990. Less than a month later, Axl filed for divorce, and after a rocky relationship, the union was annulled in 1991.
Billy Corgan and Jessica Origliasso
Alt rock superstar Billy Corgan dated Courtney Love. Musically, that makes sense. But he was then linked with pop star Jessica Simpson. That was a surprise. Then Billy dated The Veronicas’ Jessica Origliasso for two years.
When an Aussie newspaper pointed out he was going out with Australian pop royalty, he replied, “She’s going out with American rock royalty.” He also added, “She’s a really beautiful person, inside and out. She’s brought a lot of sunshine in my life.”
But, after two years, they called it quits. The Veronicas’ 2014 self-titled album featured a song co-written by Corgan called Did You Miss Me (I’m a Veronica).
Daniel Johns and Natalie Imbruglia
Perhaps the unlikeliest Aussie union since Kylie and Michael Hutchence, Daniel Johns met Natalie Imbruglia when she rocked up to a Silverchair show in London in 1999.
They caught up again at the ARIA Awards later that year and were eventually married on the beach in Port Douglas on New Year’s Eve 2003. Nat wrote her 2005 single Counting Down the Days about their long-distance relationship.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t make it work, announcing their divorce at the start of 2008, stating: “We have simply grown apart through not being able to spend enough time together.”
Jack and Meg White
When The White Stripes were breaking big, Jack and Meg told the press they were brother and sister. But they were actually husband and wife – with Jack taking his wife’s last name, changing his surname from Gillis to White – though by the time the band took off, they had already split. It was all a little strange.
Kylie Minogue and Michael Hutchence
Michael Hutchence famously said that his favourite hobby was “corrupting Kylie”. The mini-series Never Tear Us Apart recounted their first encounter, with Michael’s memorable opening line: “I didn’t know whether to ask you to lunch or to have sex.”
The Aussie music icons were together for two years before the INXS singer hooked up with supermodel Helena Christensen. But the two singers remained friends. Long after Michael’s tragic passing, Kylie declared: “My love for him remains.”
Fun fact: Kylie was the inspiration for the INXS hit Suicide Blonde. When they rocked up to the premiere of Kylie’s first movie The Delinquents, she was sporting a blonde wig. She told Michael it was “suicide blonde – dyed by her own hand”.
Couples therapy
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