A very questionable age gap, turning a home into a destination, and the most awkward phone
call of Robert Kardashian's life.
Priscilla Presley was swept up into Elvis' world, but her life didn't end with him.
Presley, are likely aware of the age discrepancy that many would consider disturbing, or at
least inappropriate.
In an essay she wrote for People, Priscilla revealed that she was only 14 years old when
they first met, and she had been a fan of his music since she heard his debut album
when she was 11.
In an interview with "Good Morning America," Priscilla described how he discovered she
was in the ninth grade right away, recalling,
"He went, 'Oh!
A baby!
You're just a kid.'
Elvis was 24 at the time, so I started feeling very, very young."
To Priscilla, there was nothing wrong with the age difference, especially since the intimacy
was not physical during all those years before the wedding.
She also maintains that behavior and attitudes were simply different back then, explaining
-
"It was a very innocent time [...] We cannot compare it to today.
We still had morals, high standards.
There was a lot of care."
Even though Elvis Presley and Priscilla were both from the U.S., they met in West Germany
because of the military.
In 1959, while Priscilla's father was stationed at the Air Force headquarters located in Wiesbaden,
Elvis was serving overseas in the Army.
Then one day, a soldier approached the teenager while she was at a family hang-out spot on
base and asked if she would like to visit Elvis at the singer's house, to which she
agreed.
In her essay for People, Priscilla recalled entering the home that fateful night, writing,
"I spotted Elvis immediately.
He was handsomer than he appeared in films, younger and more vulnerable looking with his
GI haircut."
After meeting, the two chatted for a bit, followed by Elvis serenading her at the piano
as well.
Priscilla continued to see Elvis a few more times until her father demanded to meet him.
Fortunately for the couple, both men hit it off, but it still took some convincing from
Priscilla for them to allow the relationship.
"They were nervous, and I think it was when I told my parents that they had to let me
go, or they would ruin my life."
No matter how much Priscilla Presley loved Elvis while they were married, there were
two major reasons why the relationship could not last, with the first being that Elvis
simply wasn't faithful.
"I tried to-to turn my back to that, but I just didn't want to share him.
Simple as that."
The other cause for friction between the two was more complicated, but it was related to
the problems that can arise when wed to a larger-than-life figure, as Priscilla told
People -
"My life was his life.
He had to be happy.
My problems were secondary."
By early 1972, she no longer believed those serious issues would ever get worked out and
decided to leave.
Even though Elvis was heartbroken over their divorce, he never treated her badly in response
and their connection stayed strong in the following years.
The singer's best friend and guitarist, Charlie Hodge, told People,
"Even though there was a divorce, they were like two high school kids.
They still called each other and told each other everything they were going to do."
After her divorce from Elvis Presley, Priscilla did not remain single for long.
In 1975, she began dating an attorney who would later become quite famous: Robert Kardashian.
It did not take long for the relationship to get more serious, yet it was Kardashian
who had fallen harder for Priscilla, not the other way around.
In a sense, a portion of her heart was still reserved for her love of Elvis, which would
gradually ruin the aspirations of her new lover, who wanted marriage.
According to the biography, "The Kardashians," on one extremely awkward night, Elvis called
while the couple were making love and Priscilla actually answered to put the phone down and
let him listen in.
As weird as that was, there was also a significant issue from Priscilla's perspective as well:
Kardashian was trying to make her into what he wanted, and she would not tolerate that
for long.
Eventually, Priscilla made it clear to Kardashian that there would never be a wedding, a decision
that settled the couple's future.
In 1978, Priscilla Presley started dating model and actor Michael Edwards.
But the relationship was doomed from the beginning even though it lasted longer than it should
have, until 1985.
First of all, Edwards was never able to get over his insecurity of not being as great
as Elvis.
In an interview with Daily News, he admitted,
"It was in my own head.
She was always telling me: 'Just be yourself, that's who I love.
Tell me your fears.
Tell me your weaknesses.'"
But it was to no avail, and Edwards' issues eventually led to the couple's breakup.
Though the far more disturbing reason that Presley should have left Edwards much sooner
is because he was attracted to her teenage daughter, Lisa Marie.
Not only did he admit to the gross behavior in his book, "Priscilla, Elvis and Me: In
the Shadow of the King," but Lisa Marie picked up on it and was already disgusted with him.
She later told Playboy,
"I know he wrote a book and said he lusted after my developing body as I got out of a
pool.
He made his attempts at coming into my room and being inappropriate while drunk."
Aside from the massive changes to her love life following her divorce from Elvis, Priscilla
Presley also gained the freedom to pursue her own career goals.
She wasted no time, and by 1973, she was co-owner of a boutique in Los Angeles called Bis & Beau
with her business partner and friend, Olivia Bis.
When talking with Ladies Home Journal, she explained,
"After the separation, I had to make up my mind about what I wanted to do, and since
I had worked with Olivia for such a long time on my own clothes, I decided to try it professionally."
Running the shop was a fun venture for Priscilla over the next few years, but she ultimately
decided it was not for her.
Before the decade ended, she sold the boutique and was already taking on her next challenge.
In the late 1970s, Priscilla began to attract the attention of Hollywood right after doing
her first commercials, but she was in no rush at that time to progress to an acting career.
When talking with Interview Magazine in 1979, she revealed,
"I've been offered quite a few things, but for now I'm happy with what I'm doing.
I like commercials and I like advertising.
[...] I believe in what I'm doing now.
I'm not looking for fame, fortune, and stardom, I just like feeling as though I'm doing something
constructive."
However, that changed dramatically in the early 1980s.
Presley made her TV debut in 1983 in a movie called "Love Is Forever," and before long
she became a major character on the hit soap opera "Dallas."
For the next two decades, Presley made several more appearances in both film and TV, such
as starring alongside Leslie Nielsen in the "Naked Gun" comedies.
By 1987, Priscilla Presley had gotten into her most serious relationship since leaving
Elvis, with music producer Marco Garibaldi.
Although the couple never wed, they were together for two decades and had a son, Navarone Garcia.
In his early adult life, Garcia purposefully avoided the spotlight by moving six hours
away from his family to Santa Cruz right after he turned 18.
He later told People,
"It was an escape.
It was a fresh start.
[...] A lot of people know about me.
But they don't know me."
However, despite wanting to maintain a low profile, Garcia was in the news in 2008, when
a tabloid reported that he was growing marijuana.
The incident was the most severe case up to that point in a life of being somewhat difficult
for his parents.
Garcia admitted,
"I got in trouble more than everybody else, because kids' parents would find out who my
mom was, and they'd want a reason to talk to her.
I wasn't very comfortable with it."
To make matters worse, his issues with drugs became considerably more dangerous as his
heroin addiction unintentionally shifted to dependence on fentanyl.
Yet, before the situation became deadly, Garcia managed to seek the help he needed and stopped
using hard drugs in 2020.
Reinvigorated with his improved health, the aspiring musician hopes to take his band,
Them Guns, to new heights in the future.
Priscilla Presley has lived a life full of impressive accomplishments, though arguably
her greatest is the way she managed the Graceland estate following the death of Elvis Presley
in 1977.
Even though the terrible financial practices of the King caused his wealth to fall to $5
million, Priscilla turned everything around dramatically by transforming the property
into a tourist attraction.
As reported by People, by the time Lisa Marie was ready to inherit the place in 1993, Priscilla's
brilliant plan increased the inheritance to $100 million.
Her success should not just be attributed to her capabilities, but also to her great
love of the home thanks to the unforgettable memories Priscilla formed there with her loved
ones.
"It's like I never left.
I'm here right now, and it's like I can visualize him walking down these stairs."
Unfortunately, in 2017, Priscilla Presley and her family underwent a particularly rough
period following the difficult divorce between Lisa Marie and her husband, Michael Lockwood.
After disturbing accusations came to light, including child abuse allegations, the situation
got so bad that People reported that Priscilla cared for her now 14-year-old twin granddaughters
for a while.
To clear things up, she posted on Facebook,
"There is lots of confusion, commotion, and concern from all the talk circulating.
Let me put this to rest...the girls have not been in foster care and never will be.
The girls have been with me and will be until all this is sorted out."
The court battle for custody between Lisa Marie and Lockwood continued over the following
years, and then the situation became more complicated after her tragic death in 2023.
Although Lockwood is likely to gain full custody, the sisters also have a say in their future
and their preferences are likely to be taken into consideration.
Starting in 2020, Priscilla Presley endured a set of tragedies, beginning with the death
of her grandson, Benjamin Keough, who died by suicide.
The loss was particularly rough for her, as she posted on Facebook,
"These are some of the darkest days of my family's life.
The shock of losing Ben has been devastating.
Trying to put all the pieces together of all the possible whys has penetrated my soul."
Then just three years later in 2023, Presley's woes continued when Lisa Marie suddenly died
after suffering from cardiac arrest.
As reported by People, to honor her daughter, Presley read aloud a poem at her funeral service
one of her granddaughters’ wrote called "The Old Soul" that showed the extent of her
grief.
"'I fear I'll never touch her.
But the old soul is always with me.
She doesn't drift above.'"
When a filmmaker produces a biopic with at least some intention of honoring the people
in focus, there is not much better praise than having one of them thoroughly enjoy the
film.
In the case of the 2022 movie directed by Baz Luhrmann, "Elvis," Priscilla Presley was
highly impressed and thought Elvis himself would be too.
"This is a movie that he would have really loved — showing who he was, what he was
striving for."
Having the portrayal of the man she loved so greatly done right is one thing, but coming
out of the viewing satisfied after awkwardly watching a version of herself on screen might
be an even better compliment to the actress who played her, Olivia DeJonge.
Priscilla praised DeJonge in her "Good Morning America" interview, saying,
"I'm so happy that she was sensitive and that she was caring.
[...] I was pleasantly surprised."
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please dial or text 988 to speak
with The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
You can also seek help by visiting 988lifeline.org.