She just couldn’t help falling in love with him! Though Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley’s marriage only lasted six years, the pair had a connection unlike any other.
“I was never that confident. I mean, here he was — the most sexiest, the most gorgeous human being, truly,” Priscilla recalled of their romance during a November 2019 appearance on the U.K.’s This Morning.
While Elvis and Priscilla quickly became one of the most beloved music industry couples, there was more to their relationship than meets the eye.
“The beginning [of our marriage] was very difficult, but I knew what I was in for because I saw it at a very young age,” the New York native told the Daily Mail in March 2022. “I found out how vicious people could be. There were rumors I was pregnant, and that’s why he got married and I’m going, ‘Oh, my God, this is not gonna be good for me.’ That’s when I started not reading papers anymore or [magazines] in the grocery stores.”
She added at the time: “It was hard to get accepted. But he always told me, ‘Don’t pay attention, don’t even listen and don’t look at the tabloids. You know what the truth is so just be cautious, but be aware.’”
After the pair welcomed their daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, in February 1968, they eventually went their separate ways amid alleged extramarital affairs on both sides.
“I just kind of followed what he did. You lived his life,” Priscilla said during a November 2019 appearance on the U.K.’s Loose Woman talk show. “You saw the movies he wanted to see, you listened to the music he listened to, you’d go to places he would go. So you really kind of lost yourself. … I did not divorce him because I didn’t love him ― he was the love of my life, truly. If anything, I left because I needed to find out what the world was like.”
Just four years after their divorce was finalized, the “Blue Suede Shoes” performer died at the age of 42.
“It’s difficult to believe Elvis would be 86 today, January 8th. I think back and wonder…if he were here today, how would he celebrate in the year 2021,” Priscilla wrote via Facebook in January 2021. “It’s not really hard as Elvis was somewhat…a creature of habit. I believe he would be celebrating exactly the same way. Having a small amount of his friends, family and his Memphis Mafia all gathered at Graceland. I can almost hear his laugh, see him joking around, and know he would be staying up into the early morning hours… ending at the piano singing gospel songs. Elvis, lost in the lyrics, as if no one was around. Then as the song comes to an end and with a slight smile, turns to his guest and nods with satisfaction as everyone applauds for more. Those are cherished moments embedded in my mind.”
The late Tennessee native’s career again made headlines when director Baz Luhrmann adapted Elvis’ life story into a biopic, which was released in June 2022. Elvis, which received a standing ovation at Cannes Film Festival one month before hitting theaters, stars Austin Butler as the legendary musician.
“When I began the process, I set out to get my voice to be identical. That instills fear. So that got the fire burning. For a year before we started shooting, I was doing voice coaching,” the Carrie Diaries alum told The Hollywood Reporter in February 2022 of his acting preparation. “I watched as much as I could, over and over. I feel such a responsibility to Elvis and to Priscilla and Lisa Marie, and all the people around the world who love him so much.”
Scroll below to relive Elvis and Priscilla’s iconic love story:
