Priscilla Presley: 11 Facts About Elvis' Ex-Wife
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Priscilla Presley has accomplished a lot in her lifetime so far. The actor first made a name for herself in 1959 when she met rock 'n' roll legend Elvis Presley in Germany. According to PopSugar, Priscilla's stepfather, an Air Force officer, was stationed there at the time. Despite their ten-year age gap and Priscilla being a minor, the two began a relationship. The couple tied the knot on May 1, 1967, in Las Vegas, Nev. and welcomed their daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, in 1968. After Elvis died in 1977, Priscilla was one of the executors on the Elvis Presley Estate and created Elvis Presley Enterprises.
Priscilla has dealt with many exhilarating highs and excruciating lows over the years, including her rocky relationship with her late daughter, Lisa Marie, who died in January 2023 following an apparent cardiac arrest, per CNN. Priscilla's grandson, Benjamin Keough, died by suicide in July 2020. "[Lisa Marie] is completely heartbroken, inconsolable and beyond devastated," Lisa Marie's manager, Roger Widynowski, told TMZ following the tragic news. Lisa Marie's final Instagram post in August 2022 paid tribute to her son. The mom shared that she had written an essay for People about her grief and was hopeful that it might help someone.
People received a statement from Priscilla after Lisa Marie's passing. "She was the most passionate strong and loving woman I have ever known," Priscilla said, in part. As fans show Priscilla their love and support, we are looking at her accomplishments and experiences in life.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Elvis Presley 'was everything' to Priscilla Presley
Priscilla Presley and singer Elvis Presley welcomed their daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, in 1968, and soon enough, Elvis spoiled their little girl rotten. "Even when she lost a tooth, he gave her five bucks," the "Naked Gun" star said at an event for her book, "Elvis and Me," in 2017 (via Closer Weekly). "I said, 'Look, you can't give her five dollars!'" Elvis replied, "She's Elvis Presley's daughter!"
However, there was trouble in paradise for the duo. "Elvis kept up his lifestyle," Priscilla said. Even though she tried to ignore Elvis' trysts with other women, the star recalled, "I did know that there was some finagling going on." Priscilla filed for divorce in 1972, and it was finalized a year later. In 1977, Elvis died of cardiac arrhythmia, and a variety of drugs were found in his system later, per PBS News Hour.
Despite their tumultuous relationship, Priscilla has nothing but love for the rock 'n' roll legend. "I lost everything. You have to remember, he was such an impact in my life, in every way. He was my mentor, he was my confidant," Priscilla told ET, adding, "He was everything. In my book I wrote 'my God,' because I lived and breathed him."
Priscilla Presley and her daughter Lisa Marie Presley became 'very close'
Priscilla Presley's late daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, was put through the ringer. The mother of four kids — Riley Keough, Benjamin Keough, and twins Finley and Harper Lockwood — struggled with opioid addiction, per People, and dealt with financial problems, according to Forbes. Priscilla and Lisa Marie reportedly had periods of friction.
"My mom was really, really strict with me," Lisa Marie said on "The Talk" in 2013. "Constrictive. And I realize that's not gonna work very well [as a child-rearing approach] because it made us not get close for a very long time." Luckily, the mother-daughter pair were able to reconcile and repair their relationship. "We are now very close, but when I was younger, it was, like, difficult to have a relationship with somebody that's got you ... around the neck all the time," Lisa Marie divulged. Priscilla took care of Lisa Marie's twins following her divorce from Michael Lockwood in 2016, since there was an intense custody battle between the two parents, per People. "I can't believe they are so smart [with technology]," Priscilla updated Us Weekly about the twin girls in 2019. "I mean, they can handle the phone better than I can," she quipped.
Tragically, Finley, Harper, and Riley lost their mother. Priscilla alerted her fans on Instagram in January 2023, "My beloved daughter, Lisa Marie, has been rushed to the hospital." The mom asked for prayers and privacy at the time, and she now grieves her beloved daughter. Lisa Marie's memory lives on, with a public memorial service to honor her at Graceland.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Priscilla Presley loves to spend time with her grandchildren
Since Lisa Marie Presley's twin daughters, Harper and Finley, lived with their grandma Priscilla Presley for some time, they were able to form a tight-knit bond. "It's great, it's absolutely great. I love it, I love it," the author told Us Weekly in 2017. "Having twins is quite an experience, I have to say. Both of them are very different. Wonderful kids, wonderful children."
Of course, Priscilla has taught her grandchildren all about their famous grandfather and her former husband, Elvis Presley. When asked about her approach in a 2017 interview with ET, she said, "You do it cautiously. Really cautiously. We don't want to force anything on these children. It has to happen naturally. ... It's so beautiful because now they hear his songs; they go, 'Oh, that's Elvis!'"
When actor Riley Keough, Priscilla's eldest granddaughter, was a guest on "Just for Variety with Marc Malkin" in 2021, the host asked Keough if she listens to Elvis songs. Keough said that she won't be the one to voluntarily play her grandfather's music, explaining: "If it's on I'll listen to it. There's definitely, like, emotion around it. There was definitely a lot of grief around it growing up, especially seeing my mom and my grandmother." However, Keough was supportive of Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" biopic in 2022 and joined her family in a "Handprint Ceremony" at the TCL Chinese Theatre to honor the Presley generations that summer.
She had her own clothing shop in the 1970s
Priscilla Presley and her friend Olivia Bis launched a high-end Beverly Hills boutique named Bis & Beau in the 1970s. Presley spoke fondly about this time in her life with Vogue for her 2022 "Life in Looks" video, where she's seen in an old photo wearing denim and rhinestones in front of the shop. "It was actually on the corner of Little Santa Monica and, I think, Bedford. ... We had a lot of celebrities that came to the shop. We had Cher, we had Barbra Streisand, we had Victoria Principal."
Its interior, as seen in a picture taken at the time, was an ode to femininity, featuring flower patterns on the floor and a pale embellished wall. Hanging from the ceiling was a finely detailed chandelier, delighting to the senses at first sight. Bis & Beau reportedly closed its doors in 1976. Though the venture didn't last more than a few years, the shop was clearly a special part of Presley's life. "Many of the clothes I wore back then were from my friend Olivia Bis," the star told Vogue. She added, "Bis & Beau was quite successful and that gave me a little pride. It was atmospheric, experiential retail, before anyone knew what that was, filled with romance, antiques and long flowing satin dresses."
Priscilla Presley saved Graceland
Following Elvis' 1977 death, Priscilla Presley opposed a suggestion to sell Graceland (this after bad management saw a good chunk of Elvis Presley's wealth vanish). Instead, she turned things around, growing his residence into a fan haven with a tourist stream of over 600,000 visitors annually (via "Today"). The Elvis allure, as it turns out, continues to resonate with both newer and older generations from the world over.
Financial executive Jay Fishman commented in a 2004 conversation with Entertainment Weekly that a deceased entertainer's portfolio can rake in good cash if handled right. "For a musical artist, income stems from the worth of his recorded catalog — his body of work — and the amount of publicity he gets," Fishman told the publication. With a specialty in celebrity affairs, Fishman hailed Elvis Presley's estate as one of a kind. "Elvis seems to have endured longer than any of them," he remarked in a chat with Billboard. The publication reported that Graceland might have been worth as much as $1 billion in 2022.
In 2016, The Guest House at Graceland opened near the mansion. "Priscilla Presley was instrumental in the design and décor of the specialty suites... Many of the suites are located on the exclusive top floor of the resort, known as 'The Upstairs,' which is reminiscent of the upstairs at the Graceland mansion — the private living quarters for Elvis and his family that is not part of the mansion tour," the Graceland site notes. Rolling Stone reported efforts to keep the King's image fresh in 2020, which most likely were helped by a blockbuster film a couple years later.
What she thought of Baz Luhrmann's Elvis movie
In addition to an already elite reel of film adaptations such as "The Great Gatsby" and "Romeo + Juliet," renowned Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann brought the Elvis Presley story to life through the 2022 biopic "Elvis." At the heart of the movie is the complicated relationship between Elvis (Austin Butler) and his long-term manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).
Luhrmann went into production with the blessing of Priscilla Presley, as she revealed to "Today." She was short of words when she finally watched the film. "I saw it actually with Jerry Schilling. We had a private screening, and we didn't speak. We didn't talk at all. And at the end we went, 'Wow!' This is Elvis, truly," Priscilla disclosed.
In "Elvis," Priscilla is portrayed by actor Olivia DeJonge, whose performance she found up to the mark. The pair had a sit-down on "Good Morning America," where Priscilla laid it all on the table and gave DeJonge a pat on the back. "I'm so happy that she was sensitive. And that she was caring. And that, you know, she was a little strong with him as well. ... I was pleasantly surprised," Priscilla said. DeJonge, on the other hand, breathed easy upon hearing Priscilla's perspective and gave away that a lot of probing went into getting the role right.
She's had high-profile alleged relationships
Following the end of Priscilla Presley's marriage to Elvis Presley, she began dating. Amongst those she was romantically linked to are familiar faces in the entertainment scene. According to Kris Jenner, Robert Kardashian was involved with Priscilla while Jenner was starting her training as a flight attendant. "Robert was instantly smitten with Priscilla, and she apparently was smitten with him. They quickly moved in together," Jenner wrote in "Kris Jenner... and All Things Kardashian." However, the relationship didn't last. When Jenner graduated in 1976, Kardashian was waiting for her, and the rest is history.
In his 1988 release, "Priscilla, Elvis, and Me," actor Michael Edwards wrote about the dynamics of his alleged relationship with Priscilla, claiming amongst other things a seven-year cohabitation after the demise of the King of Rock and Roll, Edwards' pedophilic interest in their daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, infidelity, and a drug problem. The book was met with harsh reviews, including one from Kirkus which reads: "Kiss-and-yell autobiography with tasteless tattling and shameless self-promotion masquerading as candor. Even gossip hounds, hopefully, will sniff this one out for what it is."
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Priscilla Presley's stint as an actor
Elvis wasn't the only one in his family with talent. Priscilla Presley has pursued dreams of her own, including in the entertainment industry. Presley made her acting debut on the small screen in "Dallas." She had a five-year run portraying Jenna Wade (Krebbs) on the hit show. For her performance, Presley earned an exciting new actress in a prime time soap opera award at the Soap Opera Digest Awards in 1984. While she was on the drama series, Presley was also in the 1983 Hall Bartlett-directed TV movie "Love is Forever" and began her role as Jane Spencer in the "Naked Gun" franchise. Among other film and TV appearances, she popped up in "Melrose Place, " "Touched by an Angel," and a dog movie called "Breakfast with Einstein," also starring Shia LaBeouf.
In his review of "The Naked Gun," acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert wrote that Presley had "a light comic touch that works as a counterweight to the less subtle aspects of the movie, which are myriad." The experience, per Presley's conversation with The Washington Post, was a much-welcome rarity. "It's opened up a whole new world for me. If someone had told me a couple of years ago I'd be doing 'Naked Gun' with Leslie Nielsen, I would have thought they were crazy," Presley gushed. She also enjoyed a chance to be funny after all those years on "Dallas."
She has a son, Navarone Garibaldi
In 1986, the Chicago Tibune made an announcement that Priscilla Presley and her then-fiance Marco Garibaldi had a bun in the oven. The pair reportedly met in 1983 and would ride the tide for another two decades or so, eventually ending their relationship in 2006, per People. Presley's pregnancy was incorporated into the script of "Dallas."
Navarone Garibaldi, who goes by Navarone Garcia, was born on the 1st of March, 1987. He grew up attuned to his family's entertainment roots and has pursued music. Navarone's band, Them Guns, was set up in 2011, according to their Instagram bio. The lead singer and composer married wife Elisa Achilli in 2022, with Priscilla Presley present.
Being born into the Presley family automatically presented Navarone with a half sister, Lisa Marie, with whom he might have had a troubled relationship. In an Instagram tribute soon after Lisa Marie's death, her half-brother wrote in part, "I know the past couple years weren't easy for you, and I wish things had been different between us. regardless, you are my sister and I'm sending love and prayers for your journey home." Priscilla and Navarone seem to spend time together when they can — she posted a photo taken of herself and her son at the Last Chance for Animals charity event in fall 2022 and invited followers to learn about the cause.
An unlicensed doctor scammed her
In 2008, TMZ reported that Priscilla Presley was a victim of a mishandled beauty procedure years earlier. Presley had made an appearance on the 6th season of "Dancing with the Stars," and her face was unnatural, the publication observed. A deeper dive into the case unraveled the fraudulent practices of an Argentine doctor named Daniel Serrano, whose alternative to botox was low-quality silicone, a car lubricant.
Commanding a rate of $300 to $500 per dose, Serrano injected the substance in question into the faces of his clients. The results? A string of unsatisfied patients including Presley, with whom he connected in 2003, actor Shawn King, and Lionel Richie's ex-wife, Diane Alexander (allegedly an "accomplice"). Serrano's sham procedures caused perforations, lumps, and other complications which got in the way of normal bodily functions.
Two years prior to TMZ's discovery, a victim described her interaction with the fraudster to the Los Angeles Times, saying, "He was real friendly, really, really nice. He had a nice bedside manner." The law finally caught up with Serrano.
Priscilla Presley's major real estate sales
In May 2019, Priscilla Presley listed a 40-year-old Brentwood property for a reported $3.65 million, per the Los Angeles Times. The 1949 ranch-style home was occupied by Presley's mother, who died in 2021. Presley acquired the property in 1976 at a cost of $170,000. Amongst other amenities, the four-bedroom residence boasted of a characteristic living room fireplace and three bathrooms, plus a pool outside.
A little over a year later, Presley made her boldest deal yet. According to the Los Angeles Times, she wrapped up the sale of an early-'50s Spanish style home she'd inhabited for decades in 2020. Presley's original ask for the 9000-square-foot mega mansion in Beverly Hills, featuring lush greenery, a pool, a tennis area, and inside, a library, was $16 million. Its sale was brokered a few months after its original listing by real estate agents Hilton & Hyland, registering a $3 million cut off Presley's initial ask.