The Truth About Elvis And Priscilla Presley’s Marriage
Elvis Presley's music changed the game, but Elvis didn't change the world all on his own. His wife, Priscilla was by his side almost from the very beginning. She had a huge impact on Elvis' life and his music. Life wasn't always perfect in the Presley household, though.
Firstly, Priscilla was still very much a minor when she and Elvis met. The relationship got off to an unhealthy start, and unfortunately, according to Priscilla, it continued that way. Read on to learn more about what really happened behind closed doors.
How Elvis And Priscilla First Met
The world had a collective hissy fit when Elvis joined the army, but if he hadn't gone to Germany, he never would have met Priscilla Beaulieu. Priscilla, who was 14 years old at the time, attended a party at Elvis' house while he was stationed in Germany during his army service.
Priscilla's step-father was a US Navy Pilot at the time and he did not approve of Elvis and Priscilla's relationship. Elvis was eventually able to charm Mr. Beaulieu into allowing the relationship to continue.
He Loved Guns
Elvis was from the South and he fully embraced the South's enthusiasm for guns. He was an avid collector of guns and he liked to carry guns with him at all times.
It's reported that Elvis owned about 37 different kinds of guns. After Elvis died, one of his guns was auctioned off for $28,000. Elvis spent some time in the U.S. Army, and although he wasn't thrilled about being drafted, he was excited about the guns in the army.
Priscilla Travelled To America
Eventually, Elvis left Germany, but he and Priscilla still managed to keep in touch over the phone. Priscilla begged her parents to let her visit Elvis in Los Angles, and after a lot of pleading, they gave in, provided that Elvis paid for Priscilla's first-class plane ticket.
Priscilla's parents didn't want Elvis to take their daughter to Las Vegas, but Elvis didn't respect their wishes. Elvis was living a fast-paced life, and Priscilla started taking pills just to keep up with him.
The Marriage Of The Century
Elvis proposed to Priscilla in 1966. Some people think that he only did so because he was pressured into it. Priscilla was still a minor when she and Elvis got married, and apparently, Priscilla threatened to go to the press or press charges against Elvis for statutory assault unless he agreed to marry her.
Elvis could have gone to prison for being with Priscilla, so rather than risk being charged, he caved to her demands and married her.
Waiting Until Marriage
Apparently, Elvis and Priscila spent their first night together on their wedding night, and their daughter, Lisa Marie, was born nine months later. Now, if they were being truthful about waiting until marriage is up for debate. We do know that Elvis wouldn't have to worry so much about Priscilla pressing charges if there was nothing to press charges about.
Still, not too long after the pair tied the knot, Elvis started having affairs with other women.
There Were Multiple Affairs
Elvis wasn't just a singer, he was a bona fide heartthrob. Almost every woman wanted to be with him. Even though he was married to Priscilla, Elvis had many love affairs with other women. He felt like he needed constant female attention.
When asked about the affairs, Elvis claimed that he and Priscilla had an open marriage. The other women just took him at his word, but his word wasn’t super reliable because he was on a lot of pills at the time.
Priscilla Originally Didn't Want To Have A Child
Not long after they tied the knot, Priscilla found out she was pregnant with Lisa Marie. She was allegedly very upset about finding out as she worried it would ruin her relationship with Elvis. She had previously asked Elvis is she could go on birth control but he refused.
Priscilla even admitted to briefly considering having an abortion but chose against it. On February 1, 1968, exactly nine months after their wedding day Lisa Marie was born.
An On-Set Affair
One of Elvis' most famous affairs was with the actress Ann-Margaret. Elvis and Ann-Margaret met on the set of Viva Las Vegas in 1964. Apparently, their instant chemistry was undeniable. They had a brief affair and when Ann called Graceland, her code name was "Thumper."
When Priscilla found out about the affair and confronted Elvis about it, he denied it and said he was just spending time with Ann for publicity.
Priscilla Lost Herself
Priscilla felt like she lost her identity when she was thrust into the limelight as a very young woman. Everything about who she was was wrapped up in being Elvis Presley's wife.
Priscilla said, "I was kind of lost really in who I was earlier in my life, I really didn't have teenage years, I learnt so much about him and was with him so much that I thought the way he did, I knew what he liked…I knew his thoughts, I knew everything as far as you could possibly do when you live together at such a young age."
Priscilla Is Not So Innocent
When most people think about Elvis and Priscilla's marriage, they think of Elvis as the cheater, but Priscilla wasn't so innocent herself.
Elvis lost interest in Priscilla after she gave birth to their daughter, so Priscilla decided to have affairs with other men. Apparently, she slept with her dance instructor named Mark and had another affair with her karate teacher, Mike Stone. When Elvis found out about Priscilla's affairs, he told her he would pay more attention to her.
The Divorce
Elvis and Priscilla really didn't get along after Lisa Marie was born. They were living in different cities and having relationships with different people.
In 1973, Elvis filed for divorce and became very jealous about the other men in Priscilla's life. After the divorced was finalized, Elvis and Priscilla agreed to share custody of Lisa Marie. Even though they got divorced, Elvis and Priscilla remained friends. They left the courthouse hand in hand.
Feeling Blue After The Divorce
Elvis took the divorce from Priscilla pretty hard. His health started to decline after the official split and he started abusing substances more and more. He actually overdosed twice the year after the divorce. One overdose left him in a coma for three days.
Elvis was taking plenty of substances to cope with the loss of his marriage, even though it wasn't a faithful marriage. He really missed Priscilla and the public pressure got intense.
Getting His Revenge
In 1973, during one of Elvis' shows, four men climbed on stage and tried to attack Elvis. Elvis was convinced that the men were sent by Priscilla's lover, Mike Stone.
After this incident, Elvis became obsessed with getting revenge on Stone. At one point he said, "There's too much pain in me … Stone [must] die." Some of Presley's close friends actually offered to get a hit man to kill Stone, but Elvis declined the offer.
His New Love Interest
Just five months after Elvis and Priscilla separated, Elvis started a relationship with Memphis beauty queen, Linda Thompson.
Elvis and Linda were together for four years. During that time, Linda revealed that she was shocked by how many substances Elvis was ingesting. Linda said that their relationship was "special," but that she knew that Elvis was never faithful to her. The pair split up just nine months before Elvis died.
He Wanted To Preserve The Mystery
It later became clear that Elvis had many ideals when it came to the women he was interested in. In an interview with Country Living, Priscilla later revealed that Elvis always wanted to have a mystique about himself, and he wanted his wife to be that way, too.
"He never wanted to see me getting dressed. He wanted to see the result of getting dressed," she said. "I left because... I needed to find out what the world was like. I didn't really know who I was."
The Last Girlfriend He Ever had
After Elvis' relationship with Linda Thompson ended, he moved on to a new woman named Ginger Alden soon after. Their relationship moved rather quickly and Elvis proposed to her just two months later.
Even though Elvis did technically propose, a lot of his friends have said that he didn't actually have any interest in getting remarried. Ginger said, "I knew I had fallen in love and couldn't imagine not being with him." It was Ginger who eventually found Elvis dead.
Lisa Marie's Inheritance
Elvis' daughter Lisa Marie Presley was just 9-years-old when her father died. Even though she was only 9, she became the joint heir to her father's large estate. She shared the estate with Elvis's father and grandmother Vernon Presley and Minnie Mae Presley.
After Vernon and Minnie May died in 1980, Lisa Marie became the sole heir of Graceland, Elvis' multimillion-dollar home. At this point, Lisa Marie has sold 75% of the estate.
The Pregnancy Wasn't Planned
In 1971, Elvis had an affair with Capitol Hill staffer Joyce Bova. Joyce had an identical twin and she and Elvis were able to bond over that fact. Elvis spoke to her about his own twin brother who had died at birth.
Elvis and Joyce had a very close relationship, and Elvis offered to leave Priscilla to be with Joyce. At one point, Joyce got pregnant with Elvis' baby. She had an abortion and never told Elvis about the pregnancy.
Elvis' Lost Twin Brother
There is only one King, but Elvis wasn't always one of a kind. Before he was born, he shared his mother's womb with an identical twin brother.
Unfortunately, his brother died in-utero and was stillborn. His brother was named Jesse Garon Presley and his body was born 35 minutes before Elvis. The world would be a much different place had there been two Presley brothers instead of just one. Maybe the world could only handle one Elvis.
He Didn't Like Germs
In 2015, Priscilla told the public that Elvis had a serious issue with germs. His issues with cleanliness bordered on OCD. Elvis wouldn't use anyone else's silverware. Priscilla said, "He never liked to go to people's homes to eat because [he] didn't like eating with other people's silverware, so he would take his own silverware."
Also, whenever he drank out of a cup, he would put his lips near the handle because most people don't put their lips there.
He Changed Up His Look
Elvis' signature look has been causing him to stand out from the crowd since he was a teenager. In high school, he looked much more mature than the rest of his classmates.
He grew sideburns and styled his hair with rose oil and Vaseline. This hairstyle would later become distinctly "Elvis." Elvis didn't spend time playing sports or going to parties like the other kids in his class. He spent all of his time listening to blues and immersing himself in music.
His Father Went To Prison
The public didn't know about Elvis' father being locked up until after Elvis died. Elvis' manager wanted to protect his public image, so he told Elvis not to talk about his father's sordid past.
In 1976, Vernon Presley was imprisoned in Mississippi State Penitentiary for forging a check. Vernon was given the check for selling a hog. He wasn't impressed with the selling price, so he added some more zeros.
He Gained Weight After A Concussion
As Elvis got older, he began to gain weight and lose his figure that he was known for. Apparently, Elvis' weight gain got out of control after a mild concussion intensified his depression.
Elvis was suffering from headaches and insomnia and his behavior became erratic. Elvis turned to pills to relieve the pain, which caused him to gain weight. These pills may have also contributed to Elvis' untimely death.
He Had Cosmetic Surgery
Elvis' partner Linda Thompson later revealed that Elvis had a secret facelift when he was 40 years old. Elvis was going through a midlife crisis and he thought he needed surgery to help him with his body image issues.
Thompson also revealed that Elvis was especially self-conscious about his "skinny little chicken neck" and that's why he wore those trademark high collars. This was apparently the only cosmetic procedure that Elvis ever had.
He Had Addiction Issues
People always assumed that Elvis was into drugs, which went along with the rock and roll lifestyle. Also, Elvis' addiction issues were public knowledge. People didn't know the extent of his addiction though.
Elvis's doctors had prescribed the star thousands of doses of pills around the time of his death. Linda Thompson said that Elvis would get the pills whenever he could. She spoke about a trip to the dentist during which "Elvis opened the cabinet and took out gigantic jars of pills. He began taking handfuls of pills and stuffing them into random pockets."
Lisa Marie's Romance With Michael Jackson
Elvis Presley's daughter Lisa Marie married pop legend Michael Jackson just 20 days after she divorced her first husband. They decided to get married in 1994 after Lisa Marie supported Michael during his child harassment trial.
Lisa Marie said, "I believed he didn't do anything wrong, and that he was wrongly accused and, yes, I started falling for him. I wanted to save him. I felt that I could do it."
He Met Richard Nixon
In 1970, Elvis got the opportunity to meet President Richard Nixon in the White House. In the meeting, Elvis talked about his patriotism and how he doesn't really care for hippie culture and thought that the Beatles' influence was anti-American.
Elvis asked Nixon for a Bureau of Narcotics badge as he was collecting patriotic items. Nixon got a bit uncomfortable and denied Elvis' request. However, Elvis was later given the badge in a private meeting.
Touring Took A Toll On His Health
Even though Elvis was going through a lot of health issues, he wasn't going to let that stop him from touring. In 1973 alone he performed 168 concerts.
That year in Maryland, Elvis walked on stage and was a complete mess. He held on to the mic stand for support, he was slurring his words, and nobody could understand what he was singing. Everyone around him was begging him to take a break, but he refused.
The Paparazzi Followed Him Everywhere
When Elvis died, so many news outlets were desperate for one last picture of "The King." They were bribing Elvis' cousins to let them into the funeral home so they could get a quick shot of the star's body.
The National Enquirer posted that picture on the front page of their paper and it sold a record-breaking 6.5 million copies. That photo became the most famous front page photograph in history.
Those Signature Locks
Sure, Elvis is famous for his voice and his songs, but he's also just as famous for his look and his style. In some ways, Elvis' style was his biggest asset.
Elvis' hair was a big deal. He didn't let very many people cut it. He trusted Mr. Gill, his mother's hairdresser, so Elvis would fly him out to wherever he was when he needed a little touch-up. Mr. Gill saved some of Elvis' hair clippings and sold them at auction after Elvis died.
He Was Close With His Mother
He might have had numerous girlfriends and lovers, but there was one woman who truly had Elvis' heart from the beginning, and that was his mother, Gladys Presley. Gladys was very close with her son and Elvis and Gladys even had pet names for each other.
They often communicated using baby talk and they were around each other as much as possible. As Gladys grew older, she got sicker and eventually, she stopped taking care of herself. Elvis as completely devastated after her death.
A James Dean Fanboy
Elvis' style didn't materialize out of thin air. Many believe that Elvis modeled his persona and style after actor James Dean. James Dean was something of a rebel, and he always did well with the ladies.
Elvis even dated Natalie Wood, a good friend of Dean's and his co-star in Rebel Without a Cause. There is clearly a link between these two men and they both ended up having their lives cut short.
The Famous Elvis Sandwich
Elvis had a strange obsession with a particular sandwich. The sandwich, which is now called the Elvis Sandwich, is peanut butter, bananas, and bacon sandwich on a whole loaf of crusty bread.
Elvis first tried the sandwich while in Colorado. He flew to Denver to get the recipe and then gave the recipe to his chef in Memphis. This sandwich is also known as "fool's gold."
He Dyed His Hair
If you know one thing about Elvis Presley, you know that he has a very unique, slicked back, jet black hairstyle.
The thing is, his hair isn't actually naturally black. Elvis was born with blonde hair, but he dyed his hair black because he wanted to look more like his idol Tony Curtis. He also dyed his eyelashes black and the chemical they used for his eyelashes caused him to suffer from chronic migraines.
How He Got All Those Pills
Like many people who find themselves addicted to drugs, Elvis' addiction didn't start with street drugs. It started with prescription pills. He had his pills prescribed to him by his personal physician Dr. George C. Nichopoulos.
Dr. Nichopoulous reportedly prescribed Elvis over 10,000 doses of various narcotics, barbiturates, amphetamines, and sleeping pills in 1977. His license was suspended in 1980 for overprescribing to Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, and others.
Lisa Marie Was A Scientologist
Lisa Marie joined the Church of Scientology in 1977. Her mother, Priscilla was already a member of the church and she brought Lisa Marie into the religion. Lisa Marie earned a Humanitarian Award from the World Literacy Crusade, a group affiliated with Scientology.
In 2016, after a long relationship with the Church, Lisa Marie defected from Scientology. She said she hadn't really felt connected to the religion since 2008. Her mother and her daughter are still members of the Church.
He Loved His Cadillac
Beginning in the '50s, Elvis developed a love for cars, especially Cadillacs. His first Cadillac was a pink and white Cadillac Fleetwood Series 60.
After the car was destroyed in a fire, Elvis upgraded to a newer model. The car he bought was blue with a black roof, but Elvis decided to have it repainted in a color called "Elvis Rose." He reportedly bought over 100 Cadillacs in his life for himself and others.
His Beef With Europe
Even though Elvis met his wife in Germany and had fans in Europe, Elvis never toured outside of North America. He only made a few appearances outside of the US at all with a handful of shows in Canada in 1957.
Elvis supposedly had a huge argument with his friend Col. Tom Parker about touring in Europe. Elvis always resented how Parker held him back from following his dreams.
A Book For Revenge
Two weeks before Elvis died, three of his former bodyguards published a tell-all book titled, Elvis: What Happened?. The contents of the book may have been partially true, but they mostly wrote the book to get back at Elvis for firing them.
Elvis tried to pay them to not release the book, but they refused his offer. Elvis was feeling stressed about the book's upcoming release date, which may have contributed to his untimely death.
Elvis' Untimely Death
Elvis Presley died on August 16th, 1977. His then-girlfriend, Ginger Alden found him lying dead in the bathroom in his Memphis mansion, Graceland.
He was taken to the hospital and doctors attempted to resuscitate him, but it was too late. He was pronounced dead at 3:30 pm. His death certificate says he died of a heart attack, but it was later revealed that the heart attack was caused by the sheer amount of drugs in his system.
A Look-Alike Grandson With A Tragic Fate
Elvis and Priscilla's daughter Lisa Marie had four children: Riley Keough, Benjamin Keough, Finley Aaron Love Lockwood, and Harper Vivienne Ann Lockwood. Benjamin, who was born in 1992, was practically an Elvis look-alike and was even a musician.
Sadly, Benajmin took his own life in July of 2020. Lisa Marie's manager released a statement saying that she was "entirely heartbroken, inconsolable and beyond devastated. She adored that boy. He was the love of her life." Pictured are Lisa Marie and Benjamin in 2010.
