Who is Stephanie Mills, who was ready to marry Michael Jackson and continues to defend him? The R&B singer recently said she doesn’t like it ‘when people try to target what he’s built’

Mills insists Jackson “would never do anything to a child” and continues to honour his memory on social media, calling him “one of the greatest entertainers in the world”.

Born in Queens and raised in Brooklyn, the sixth of six children, Mills began performing by singing gospel at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Bedford-Stuyvesant, per Blackpast. But who is she exactly? Here’s what you should know about her and her connection to the King of Pop.

Stephanie Mills’ singing career started at the age of 9

Mills entered showbiz at age nine with a role in the 1968 musical Maggie Flynn, according to Rated R&B. But it was her 1975 performance as Dorothy in Broadway’s The Wiz that made her a household name, earning rave reviews and launching her towards stardom.

Broadway success led to a recording career

After her success on Broadway, Mills shifted her focus to making her own music. The 80s saw her rise right to the top, racking up a string of hits, including 13 albums, five No. 1 singles on the R&B charts, and a Grammy Award for best female R&B vocalist in 1981, per Blackpast.

Did Stephanie Mills date Michael Jackson?

Mills and Michael Jackson began dating during her time working on The Wiz. “He was such a king, sweet soul, very gentle,” she said of the musician, according to PrideSource. “We were really friends, which is why I feel the need to defend him if someone says something about him.”

As reported by Vibe, during an interview with Atlanta’s V-103 radio station, she admitted she dreamed of becoming Mrs Michael Jackson. “I was ready at 20 and 21 to get married, and he was not even close to getting married or having a girlfriend at that time, but yes, we dated. We dated for a while.”

She’s been married three times

Mills has since been married three times. In 1980 she married founding member of the R&B vocal group Shalamar, Jeffrey Daniel. Divorcing him in 1983, Mills then married actor Dino Meminger, with whom she had a son before their marriage ended in 1991. In 1993, Mills married radio programmer Michael Saunders, but they also ended up getting divorced, in 2001.

Today, Mills focuses on her son, who has special needs

In 2023, Mills appeared on The Jennifer Hudson Show, sharing the advice she gave her now-23-year-old son Farad, born with Down’s syndrome, before he started attending school. “You’re going to go where you’re celebrated, not tolerated,” she told him.

A month later, she brought Farad on stage during a performance of “Never Knew Love Like This” on Tamron Hall, where she also discussed her choice to leave Hollywood and raise him in North Carolina.