Lisa Marie Presley passed away in January 2023 at 54 after cardiac arrest. Let's recap her mother's life. Elvis and Priscilla Presley are one of the most iconic couples ever. But as we will soon find out, there was much more to their relationship. And have you been wondering what happened to Priscilla after Elvis passed? Well, she finally admitted what Elvis used to do to her...
Priscilla’s Father Died
Her parents, Ann Lillian Iversen and James Wagner, had Priscilla in May of 1945. Unfortunately, when the young girl was only six months old, her father died in a plane crash while serving as a pilot in the military.
Ann later met Paul Beaulieu, an Air Force colonel– who then raised Priscilla as if she was his very own daughter. Knowing that her late father was an army vet as well made him look out for her as best as he possibly could.
Priscilla Was Unaware That She Was Living With a Stepdad
The young Priscilla never thought that she had a different father, and thought that Paul was her actual dad because she was so young when Lillian's mother remarried. She soon discovered that he was not when she came upon an old cupboard.
However, she chose to still keep it to herself, and not let anyone else know about it. It became a family secret now, and she was happy to be a part of it.
Nomadic Lifestyle
Due to Paul working in the air force, Priscilla's family moved around a lot in those early days. This impacted her development as a child. Living a nomadic lifestyle made her crave stability and routine.
She admitted in her later life that she was often concerned as a child about moving all around the country and questioned if she'll ever have long-term friendships. As soon as she met and made a few new friends her family left the town.
Met Elvis at 14
Once Paul was transferred to Germany in the 1950s, Priscilla and her family moved, and they met Elvis there for the first time. Priscilla was only 14 at the time of their introduction, and the musician was already 25 and served in the United States Armed Forces. Before Priscilla had met Elvis, however, she had heard one of his songs. One day, her stepfather had brought home an album of his saying, "I don’t know what this Elvis guy is all about but he must be something special."
He seemed, however, to be struck by all accounts with the young teen. Even though she was more than 10 years younger than him he somehow knew that they would end up together in the future.
The Star Was Nervous
Elvis became popular quickly and when he met Priscilla - the whole scene was already under his control with classics like "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Heartbreak Hotel." Keeping this in mind, who would have thought that Priscilla, 14 years old, might be a star soon as well.
And Elvis seemed to be even more nervous when she saw her again and behaved like an uncomfortable teenage schoolboy. With his heart racing, he attempted to woo her, and he actually was quite unsuccessful at first.
Did Not Like Elvis at First
When she was still younger, Priscilla admitted that she did not like Elvis at all.
She said in an interview back in 2017 for Australia’s Today show, “Obviously I’d heard of Elvis. One of my best friends had a fan club that you could join and she showed me the magazine. And when she showed me the inside, Elvis was signing this blonde woman across her breasts. I looked at that and [thought], ‘There’s no way I could be a part of this fan club. It’s really gross.’”
Her Parents Were Against Their Relationship
Late in the night after her first encounter with Elvis, Priscilla arrived home late - much to the dismay of her mother. She also insisted that Elvis is a bad influence and that she should never visit him again.
Nevertheless, the musician was excited to meet her again and promised to bring her home early from then on. The mom and dad of Priscilla ended up giving in and encouraged the daughter to meet regularly with Elvis. They knew what his status was.
Elvis Spilled His Heart to Her
Soon after the death of his mother Gladys, Elvis met Priscilla and apparently sought comfort in the young adolescent. She said in an interview for Today, “I saw him at probably one of the most vulnerable times of his life. Losing his mother and then of course being drafted – which was devastating at the top of his career. So, he poured his heart out to me.”
It seemed like all the stars aligned and they were just meant to be. Nobody other than her ever saw Elvis so broken and vulnerable.
Distance Did Not Matter to Elvis
Priscilla insisted that Elvis would never see her again when he left Germany in March 1960. In fact, the singer speculated that the relationship was over according to what Nancy Sinatra apparently heard from her. Priscilla and Elvis however continued to communicate for two years on the telephone until they eventually reunited.
It was one of those relationships and friendships that lasted despite the distance. And if there is real love involved, both will wait for each other and meet again in the future. And that is precisely what they did.
He Cheated on Her Regularly
In 1963, Priscilla traveled to Memphis. She moved in and was living with Elvis. He begged her parents to give him permission to get married to their young daughter.
But in the early days of their relationship, the singer was frequently unfaithful and he even had affairs with his co-star Ann-Margret from Viva Las Vegas. This was not a great start to what seemed like a lovely relationship and a great friendship between the two.
He Got Engaged to Her Under Pressure
Finally, before Christmas 1966, Elvis went forward and popped the question. Nevertheless, it was reported that if he refused to marry her, she threatened to talk to the media about their relationship. According to one Elvis biography, Elvis's longtime housekeeper and cook, Alberta, found him crying before the wedding, saying, "I don't have a choice."
Priscilla's father is also alleged to have harassed Elvis– accusing him of having taken a young child for sexual reasons across state lines. And he was technically right, but at the same time, the parents did bless their relationship.
They Got Married Quickly
At the Aladdin Hotel in May 1967, Priscilla and Elvis officially tied the knot. The ceremony was an intimate celebration and aimed at grabbing the media's attention. It was over after eight short minutes, as they went to their breakfast party while the happy couple attended a news conference.
Regardless of the age difference, the couple was blessed by the media as well, and they could not wait to be the first to report of their union. Their marriage made headlines all over the world.
She Was Still a Virgin
Priscilla said she stayed a virgin until her wedding night as she and Elvis were not a real couple- in her eyes- until they got married.
She recalled in her 1985 Elvis and Me autobiography, how she said to him, “I’m not saying we can’t do other things. It’s just the actual encounter. I want to save it.” We do not think we need to elaborate on that particular exchange. However, it is nice to see that Priscilla stayed true to herself for such a long time.
She Became A True Housewife
Priscilla knew Elvis had to be cooked for, have the dishes washed, and have an occasional baked desert, and that is why she was committed to being a housewife. The future business owner explains: “I loved playing house… Here was an opportunity to take care of him myself. No maids or housekeepers to pamper us.”
If you are interested, you can read more about it in Peter Guralnick's Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley that was published back in 1999.
He Was A Real Control Freak
Priscilla argued that in her relationship, Elvis was quite possessive– even trying to dictate how she dressed. In an interview back in 2015 she told the newspaper The Guardian, “He was very opinionated on what he wanted. [Elvis would say], ‘I don’t like you in that color. Brown isn’t good for you. Green looks horrible, it’s a dull color with no spark to it.’” This was actually the first red flag in her relationship that something may go wrong in the future.
According to her, she made herself into Elvis's "living doll, to fashion as he pleased," dying her hair black to match his and styling herself to match his wants.
He Did Not Want Her to Age
While they were a freshly-wed couple, Elvis had even more ticks that were quite irritating.
Priscilla said in an interview, “I remember sitting down doing my homework. And when I would look up at him, he would slap me on my forehead and say, ‘Don’t do that, it gives you wrinkles on your forehead.’ I didn’t even think about wrinkles back then!” Now, that is quite a weird thing to do, and we are pretty sure there is basically nobody out there who does that.
Had Anger Management Issues
As per Priscilla, when something he saw irritated him, Elvis would fire his gun at the TV. In an interview with The Guardian, she said, “It’s funny now… But scary at first. Very scary. There was no warning. Maybe he was in a bad mood that day, or maybe he would just see someone he didn’t particularly care for so he’d just pick up the gun…”
This obviously indicated that he had anger management problems, and was the next big red flag.
Always Wore Makeup
Priscilla was eager to keep her husband pleased throughout her marriage. Yet she told Loose Women during a 2016 interview at the UK talk show that she always had lipstick in front of him and she would never allow him to see her without makeup or during the time she was applying it.
“There are things you keep to yourself,” explained Priscilla. There are a few things that you do not want your significant other to know about or see, and that is what Priscilla did.
She Saw Him Perform After Marriage
For many years Elvis seemed to have kept his personal and professional lives apart, and Priscilla seemingly never saw him on the stage until the year after they got married.
She told the United Kingdom Good Morning Britain in 2017, “Did I complain? Never. I loved being his wife. I loved taking care of him. So, when I saw him on stage it was like, ‘Oh my god I get it.’” She finally understood why people were so crazy over him!
She Got Pregnant Quickly
Priscilla realized that soon after she met Elvis she was pregnant. At the moment, her fear was that a baby might eventually break her relationship.
She also spoke to the singer about abortion but neither one of them could terminate the pregnancy. Lisa Marie, her only daughter, was born on 1 February 1968, precisely nine months after their wedding night.
They Could Not Leave the House
Priscilla had failed, since her marriage, to adapt to the life of living with a superstar.
She said in an interview with the Loose Women, “We didn’t go out. He didn’t like eating in restaurants because people would take pictures of him and he didn’t want to be shot… putting a fork in his mouth. We literally lived in a bubble.” It is actually scary that times really have not changed, and that stars still carry the same risk for their life every single time they leave their house.
Priscilla Cheated on Elvis, Too
Priscilla used to take karate classes thanks to the advice of Elvis, but her favorite hobby would lead to her marriage falling apart. Priscilla quickly entered into an affair with her teacher after classes.
And the businesswoman believed that while she still was in love with Elvis her extramarital arrangement obliged her to reconsider her marriage. That means that Elvis was not the only one who cheated in their relationship. But she was not doing it to get back at him either.
He Was Not Satisfying Her Needs
Elvis was not too close to her, Priscilla says, and that caused great distress. She wrote in her book Elvis and Me, “He had mentioned to me before we were married that he had never been able to make love to a woman who had a child… I [was] beginning to doubt my own sexuality as a woman. My physical and emotional needs were unfulfilled.”
It was not that she was a cheater, but she needed her desires to be fulfilled as well.
He Forced Her Into Sex
Priscilla said that, during her adultery with her instructor, Mike Stone, Elvis brought her into his hotel room and, per an excerpt from Elvis and Me, “forcefully made love” to her.
Though later Priscilla admitted she exaggerated the event, she said his efforts to display his sexual desire for her were too late. She found what she needed in another man, and before Elvis could make up for it, it was already too late. Her heart belonged to someone else already.
He Wanted to Assassinate Mike Stone
The two later went their separate ways in 1972; on 8 January 1973-his 38th birthday-Elvis filed for a divorce. The singer, however, was well known to be suspicious about her new boyfriend Mike. His bodyguard looked into preparing a murder plot against Mike, but then the singer backed down before it was too late.
“There’s too much pain in me… Stone [must] die,” is what was supposedly said. Who could have guessed that Elvis, a person with anger management problems, could plot something like this, right?
She Got a Lot of Money in the Divorce
After the split from Elvis in October 1973, Priscilla got a payment of $725,000. Her former husband also provided her child and marital support. In addition, the female businesswoman got half of the proceeds from selling her house in Beverly Hills and five percent of Elvis' publishing corporation.
The divorce really did hurt Elvis financially, but at the same time, it paved the way for Priscilla to make a name for herself and to finally step out of his shadow.
They Were Still Good Friends
Following their breakup, Priscilla and Elvis were still very close friends– and the day their divorce concluded, they left the court holding hands. The former couple had joint custody and raised their daughter Lisa Marie until Elvis died aged 42 in August 1977 from a heart attack.
It was a tragic time both for Priscilla as well as their daughter. His death echoed all around the world, and people could not believe that the king of rock was actually gone.
She Could Not Believe the New
She refused to recognize it when she learned of Elvis ' tragic death. She thought that it was all just a sick joke.
In an interview with Today in 2017, she said, “It was shocking, it was like everyone else not believing it. The phone call I got from Joe Esposito [Elvis’ manager], it was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ Because we would kid around all the time y’know. And [he] was in the hospital lots of times and he always made it through.”
Elvis Was Supposedly Lonely
Priscilla said that Elvis, even though he had exceptional fame, was lonely and suffered very deeply and in silence in her interview in 2017 on Good Morning Britain.
She spoke of her late ex-husband by saying, “He really was alone. He really didn’t have a peer, not with a group and not really with anyone.” She even mentioned that he was always struggling with his “demons.” Just like most stars, Elvis had a lot of problems with making true friends.
She Took Care of His Estate
Priscilla had become the trustee of his properties on account of his only heir, Lisa Marie. The land cost over $500,000 a year at the time, which indicated that the value of the land was about $1,000,000.
Priscilla, therefore, had to find a way to support Graceland until she was able to hand it to her daughter who would actually be the real owner when she was old enough.
Graceland Became a Tourist Hotspot
Priscilla Was Influenced by Other Famous Galleries and Homes to Make Graceland an Attraction That Would Pay for Itself. Elvis's Former Home Was Turned Into a Tourist Attraction With the Help of CEO Jack Soden.
It opened in June 1982 and the estate made back the investment that they had put in within four weeks. It was the only way to keep the place running and the only way that she could support the estate without letting it fall apart or without having to sell it.
She Proved Herself as a Businesswoman
Priscilla was the chairman and CEO of Elvis Presley Productions until Marie was 21. And the trust was valued at over 100 million dollars during her tenure. Priscilla has also introduced fashion lines and fragrances with her hairdresser Olivia Bis and run a popular clothing store.
She saw the opportunity and took it. She had to make a living, and she had to provide her daughter with the ways to make money when the property was handed over to her.
She Was Also an Actor
Priscilla found new fame in the 1980s when she starred in Dallas as an actress. She was also awarded the 1984 Soap Opera Digest Competition. She has appeared in three Naked Gun films together with Leslie Nielsen through the following decade.
In 2008, Priscilla was more recently a contender for dance with the stars. She managed to completely turn her life around and to make a name for herself. However, being the ex-wife of Elvis would follow her for the rest of her life.
Had Several Other Men in Her Life
Until 1975 following her split from Elvis, Priscilla lived with Mike Stone. Since then, she has been dating several leading men: Kirk Kerkorian the politician, and Terry O' Neill the photographer. Apparently, Priscilla even had a one-night stand with the one and only Richard Gere. According to a source close to Priscilla, she met Gere and after one too many drinks, went home with him. She could barely remember anything and in the source's words after the event, "There was a silence. And then I could hear her muffled sobs. I asked her what had happened, but I already knew."
She was also linked with Sir Tom Jones romantically in 2017, while Priscilla later claimed that she was friends with the Welsh musician. It seems like after Elvis she had struggled to find the right guy for her. Or she was just too busy to invest in a sound relationship.
Gave Birth to a Son
Priscilla had been living for 22 years with Marco Garibaldi, an Italian writer, and a programmer. In March 1987, when Priscilla was still working in Dallas, the couple welcomed their son Navarone.
In 2006, Priscilla and Marco split, and Navarone became the leader of the rock band Them Weapons. He is the step-brother to Lisa Marie, who Priscilla gave birth to while she was still in a relationship with Elvis.
She Did Not Want Her Daughter to Date Michael Jackson
Lisa Marie married one of the greatest musicians on the earth in 1994: Michael Jackson, following in her mom's footsteps. Nevertheless, Priscilla had doubts concerning her daughter's marriage, given the similarities in her relations with Elvis.
She later said in an interview with The Guardian, “I just didn’t know if it was authentic or not. I just worried about if she was doing the right thing. I worried about… his agendas.” She was not the only one worried about the relationship.
Prominent Member of the Church of Scientology
For many years Priscilla has been a part of Scientology Church. Nonetheless, in 2017 the infamous religion had confirmed that she had left their order. Then a spokesperson of Priscilla's dismissed these reports, claiming that she was still a supporter of them.
The Church of Scientology is quite a controversial one, and there are many prominent stars who are also members of it. One of the most well-know is Tom Cruise. They have quite a few strange beliefs and people label them as a cult.
She Does a Lot of Charity
Priscilla has operated as the Dream Foundation's ambassador since 2003. The company offers support for people who are terminally ill.
In a 2014 interview, Priscilla said for CNN, “I’ve been blessed to work with [the] Dream Foundation. The organization has impacted me in so many ways. I think when you see and experience someone’s dream with them, it lives on within you. It’s life-changing.” It is always great to see stars support the world around them, and help out people in the humblest way possible.
She Supposedly Communicates With Elvis
Priscilla said in 2015 to the Guardian that Elvis talks with her at times. That might sound strange to everyone who is reading this, but she did elaborate on it.
She said, “When I go to Graceland, my gosh, I can walk in that door and see him walking down the stairs, I can hear laughter, I can hear the music playing in the music room. It’s a very surreal feeling. But it’s not scary, it’s beautiful.” Is his house haunted?
She Loved Being His Wife
Priscilla is still remembered today by people who loved Elvis; he's after all one of the biggest selling artists of all time.
In an interview in 2016 with the British newspaper The Telegraph, Priscilla said, “I’ll be in a store and ‘White Christmas’ will be playing and hearing his voice still has an impact. Because even after all these years, I can visualize where we both were when I first heard it, and I’ll carry those memories with me always.”