Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of the late Elvis Presley, released a statement yesterday saying that she and the singer Michael Jackson had married.
After announcing a union that might have been conceived in supermarket-tabloid heaven and proclaiming a need for privacy, the world's most famous newlyweds were holed up last night in a place not known for its isolation: Trump Tower.
At 5:40 P.M., a few hours after the statement was released in Los Angeles, the developer Donald J. Trump emerged from Trump Tower to the kind of reportorial throng normally reserved for the likes of, well, Michael Jackson or Donald Trump, and confirmed that, yes, the couple were ensconced on the top floor of the Fifth Avenue tower.
In her statement, Mrs. Presley-Jackson, as she said she wanted to be known, said that she and her new husband had secretly married outside the country because "we both wanted a private marriage ceremony without the distraction of a media circus." Their wishes for the honeymoon apparently are less constrained.
But in the rush hour hurly-burly of Fifth Avenue, it takes more than the marriage of the man sometimes called "the king of pop" and the daughter of the king of rock and roll to distract New Yorkers, even with Mr. Trump on the scene. True, there were about 400 people gathered outside Trump Tower at one point, hoping for a glimpse of the famous couple, but most were either reporters or foreign tourists.
A young woman passing by on in-line skates shrugged and said, "It's just one of those things you can run into when you're skating around New York."
Tourists, about half armed with cameras, busied themselves taking pictures of Mr. Trump, of the building that bears his name, of the crowd and of each other. Waiting, vainly as it turned out, for a glimpse of the newlyweds, some in the crowd speculated on how the couple might emerge. One wag suggested that a train of limousines would arrive, each flying, like a flag, the sort of sequined glove Mr. Jackson used to wear.
Geraldine Gillespie, 29, of Brooklyn, said, "I just want to see him," the pronoun requiring no explanation. "His marriage with Lisa Marie? I just think it's fine."
In her statement, issued in Los Angeles by MJJ Productions, Mr. Jackson's company, Mrs. Presley-Jackson said, "My marriage to Michael Jackson took place in a private ceremony outside the United States 11 weeks ago."
"My married name is Mrs. Lisa Marie Presley-Jackson, " it continued. "I am very much in love with Michael. I dedicate my life to being his wife. I understand and support him. We both look forward to raising a family and living a happy, healthy life together."
The statement did not provide the location or details of the nuptials, though a judge in the Dominican Republic recently said he performed a 15-minute ceremony at his home in La Vega on May 26.
There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy of the date provided by the judge for the wedding -- May 26, which was less than 10 weeks ago -- and Lisa Marie's statement saying the marriage took place 11 weeks ago.
There was no word today from Mr. Jackson personally, nor from Mrs. Presley-Jackson's estranged husband, Danny Keough, a bass player, who could not be reached for comment.
Mrs. Presley-Jackson, 26, and Mr. Keough separated a few months ago, after she began seeing Mr. Jackson, who is 35 and has never been married. She and Mr. Keough, who were married in 1988, have two children, Danielle, 5, and Benjamin, 1.
Entertainment industry publications and tabloid newspapers have been filled with speculation of a Jackson-Presley marriage for more than two months. Officials in the Dominican Republic said the pair spent time in the country in late May, and a Dominican newspaper, Listin Diario, subsequently published the judge's account and a picture of what it said was the marriage certificate.
Paul Bloch, the publicist for Lisa Marie's mother, Priscilla Presley, was quoted by The Associated Press today as saying the marriage had her blessing.
The announcement comes at a time when the police in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, where Mr. Jackson owns homes, are continuing to investigate allegations by a 13-year-old boy that the entertainer sexually molested him. Two grand juries are known to have heard evidence. Mr. Jackson has denied the accusations.
Last year, after the boy filed a civil lawsuit against him, Mr. Jackson reached an out-of-court settlement with the boy and his family for a sum variously estimated to be $5 million to more than $20 million.
Mr. Jackson's publicist, Lee Solters, said today that he could not answer any questions raised by Mrs. Presley-Jackson's statement. Previously, Mr. Solters strongly denied rumors of a Jackson-Presley marriage.
