Priscilla Presley Through the Years: Marriage to Elvis, More

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Priscilla Presley Through the Years: Marriage to Elvis, Motherhood and More

Every king has his queen. Priscilla Presley, who was married to Elvis Presley from 1967 to 1973, has kept her late ex-husband’s legacy alive for decades.

In her own words, Priscilla — who frequently moved around as a child due to her stepfather’s job in the U.S. Air Force — was a shy girl who was “embarrassed about my own sexuality,” she wrote in a 1985 essay for People. Then she met the “Blue Suedes Shoes” singer in 1959, while he was stationed in Germany, as was her father, and everything changed.

“I found myself deeply involved with Elvis. Something in his Southern upbringing had taught him that the ‘right’ girl was to be saved for marriage. I was that girl,” she recalled, later describing her desire to consummate their relationship, though he’d always make her wait. “At the same time, he molded me into his woman. I wore the clothes, hairstyle and makeup of his careful choosing.”

Priscilla married the King of Rock n’ Roll in 1967 and welcomed their only child, daughter Lisa Marie Presley, the following year. The pair split in 1972 and finalized their divorce one year later.

The “Can’t Help Falling in Love” artist was rumored to be having an affair with Nancy Sinatra during their marriage, and Priscilla later admitted her own infidelity during their union. “I came out of it realizing I needed much more out of my relationship with Elvis,” she recalled in her memoir, Elvis and Me.

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Despite their split, “We never lost our friendship,” Priscilla told Australia’s Sunday News in 2017.

After Elvis’ death in 1977 at the age of 42, the Dallas alum was left in charge of his legacy. In the early ‘80s, she opened Graceland — Elvis’ iconic Memphis estate — to the public.

Priscilla went on to have several high profile romances, including relationships with Robert Kardashian and Marco Garibaldi. During her 22-year relationship with the film producer, the then-couple welcomed son Navarone in 1987. Two years later, Lisa Marie gave birth to her first child, Riley Keough, making Priscilla a grandmother.

The “Lights Out” singer had three more children — son Benjamin, who died by suicide in 2020, and daughters Harper and Finley — making Priscilla a grandma four times over. When Lisa Marie died in January 2023 after suffering cardiac arrest, Priscilla was the one to announce her daughter’s death.

“It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” Priscilla said in a statement to People at the time. “She was the most passionate strong and loving woman I have ever known. We ask for privacy as we try to deal with this profound loss. Thank you for the love and prayers. At this time there will be no further comment.”

Keep scrolling to see Priscilla’s life through the years:

Credit: Boyer David/ABACA/Shutterstock

Priscilla Presley Through the Years: Marriage to Elvis, Motherhood and More

Every king has his queen. Priscilla Presley, who was married to Elvis Presley from 1967 to 1973, has kept her late ex-husband’s legacy alive for decades.

In her own words, Priscilla — who frequently moved around as a child due to her stepfather’s job in the U.S. Air Force — was a shy girl who was “embarrassed about my own sexuality,” she wrote in a 1985 essay for People. Then she met the “Blue Suedes Shoes” singer in 1959, while he was stationed in Germany, as was her father, and everything changed.

“I found myself deeply involved with Elvis. Something in his Southern upbringing had taught him that the ‘right’ girl was to be saved for marriage. I was that girl,” she recalled, later describing her desire to consummate their relationship, though he’d always make her wait. “At the same time, he molded me into his woman. I wore the clothes, hairstyle and makeup of his careful choosing.”

Priscilla married the King of Rock n’ Roll in 1967 and welcomed their only child, daughter Lisa Marie Presley, the following year. The pair split in 1972 and finalized their divorce one year later.

The “Can’t Help Falling in Love” artist was rumored to be having an affair with Nancy Sinatra during their marriage, and Priscilla later admitted her own infidelity during their union. “I came out of it realizing I needed much more out of my relationship with Elvis,” she recalled in her memoir, Elvis and Me.

[jwplayer c8x8CCz2-zhNYySv2]

Despite their split, “We never lost our friendship,” Priscilla told Australia’s Sunday News in 2017.

After Elvis’ death in 1977 at the age of 42, the Dallas alum was left in charge of his legacy. In the early ‘80s, she opened Graceland — Elvis’ iconic Memphis estate — to the public.

Priscilla went on to have several high profile romances, including relationships with Robert Kardashian and Marco Garibaldi. During her 22-year relationship with the film producer, the then-couple welcomed son Navarone in 1987. Two years later, Lisa Marie gave birth to her first child, Riley Keough, making Priscilla a grandmother.

The “Lights Out” singer had three more children — son Benjamin, who died by suicide in 2020, and daughters Harper and Finley — making Priscilla a grandma four times over. When Lisa Marie died in January 2023 after suffering cardiac arrest, Priscilla was the one to announce her daughter’s death.

“It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” Priscilla said in a statement to People at the time. “She was the most passionate strong and loving woman I have ever known. We ask for privacy as we try to deal with this profound loss. Thank you for the love and prayers. At this time there will be no further comment.”

Keep scrolling to see Priscilla’s life through the years:

Credit: Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock

1967

Priscilla wed Elvis in an eight-minute Las Vegas ceremony after dating for several years. She later recalled that his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, “pressured” the pair to tie the knot.

“[Elvis’] manager put the pressure [on us] to marry, and marry soon. We’d been together for six years,” she told Barbara Walters in 1985.

Credit: AP/Shutterstock

1968

Priscilla gave birth to the couple’s only child, Lisa Marie. During her pregnancy, the “Jailhouse Rock” singer briefly left his wife.

“I later realized he too had questions about how a baby would affect his life. Would his public accept him as a father? He wasn’t even sure whether his fans had adapted to his becoming a husband. How loyal would they be?” she recalled in 1985.

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1973

The couple split in 1972 and finalized their divorce one year later. As for what went wrong, Priscilla told Loose Women in 2016 that her life was built around her husband’s wants and needs. “I had to take responsibility for myself,” she told Walters in 1985.

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1975

After leaving Elvis, Priscilla had a brief relationship with Robert Kardashian. (He went on to marry Kris Jenner in 1978.)

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1982

Five years after Elvis’ death, Priscilla transformed the nearly 14-acre Graceland estate into a museum and tourist attraction, which brings in 500,000 visitors per year, according to the property’s website.

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Mid-1980s

Priscilla began dating Marco Garibaldi, her longest partner, in the mid-‘80s. They welcomed their son, Navarone, in 1987, and ultimately split in 2006.

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1987

The New York native welcomed her only child, Navarone, in 1987. The actress frequently shares photos with the musician via Instagram and often gushes about their close bond.

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1989

Priscilla became a grandmother for the first time when Lisa Marie gave birth to her first child, daughter Riley, in 1989. The late singer shared Riley and son Benjamin, who was born in 1992 and died in 2020, with ex-husband Danny Keough. In 2008, Lisa Marie welcomed twin daughters with ex-husband Michael Lockwood.

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2020s

Priscilla frequently shares photos with her children and grandchildren on social media. She attended the 2023 Golden Globes with daughter Lisa Marie days before the “Idiot” singer’s death. The two were in attendance in support of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic, which they gave their blessing. (Austin Butler won the Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for his role as the late music legend.) Two days later, Lisa Marie died.

“It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us. She was the most passionate strong and loving woman I have ever known,” Priscilla shared at the time.