Priscilla Presley Reveals Guilt-Inducing Letters from Elvis Fans and Her True Reasons for Leaving the King of Rock and Roll
Priscilla Presley has been inundated with correspondence from admirers of her deceased husband, Elvis Presley — and not all of it has been supportive.
“They suggested he would still be alive had I not departed. It was a complete attempt to induce guilt. I've received several such letters, which were exceedingly challenging to process,” Priscilla, 80, shared with the audience at the 92nd Street Y in New York City on Wednesday, September 24. “For someone to entertain such notions … I played no role in his demise. I grieve his absence. I continue to mourn him even now.”
Priscilla's marriage to the departed Elvis lasted from 1967 until 1973. Her new memoir, Softly, As I Leave You, published on Tuesday, September 23, details her departure from the iconic musician. (The erstwhile pair shared their deceased daughter Lisa Marie Presley, born in February 1968. Priscilla separated from Elvis when their daughter was four years old.)
“He was an extraordinary parent, a remarkable individual,” Priscilla further stated during her Wednesday presentation. “I encountered no one as generous as he proved to be.”
Priscilla Presley Discloses Reasons for Leaving Elvis in Recent Book: Key Disclosures
In her latest autobiography, Priscilla clarified that — contrary to widespread assumption — her relationship with karate instructor Mike Stone was not the decisive factor in the dissolution of her marriage to Elvis.
“My departure from Elvis was not due to a cessation of love. My affection for him was as strong on the day I left as it was on our wedding day,” she penned. “I left Elvis because I required an independent existence. I was immersed in his world. Just as Elvis sought purpose in his life, so too was I seeking mine.”
Priscilla asserted that her and Elvis’ “union had been deteriorating for an extended period” prior to her choice to depart. Her romantic entanglement was “merely one trigger,” with Lisa Marie’s arrival being the other.
“I grew envious of a childcare provider attending to my daughter, when that role should have been mine,” Priscilla documented. “I experienced remorse for having a nanny present when Lisa awakened crying during the night.”
She confessed to “experiencing difficulties” during this phase of her existence.
“The effort to maintain our family's cohesion was agonizing,” Priscilla recorded. “I perceived myself as inadequate, both as a parent and as a spouse. Ultimately, I was compelled to make a decision.”
She remembered Elvis appearing “taken aback” by her choice to separate. Notwithstanding their breakup, the former spouses maintained a strong bond. Elvis would even phone Priscilla when she was (unbeknownst to him) sharing a bed with a different partner.
How Priscilla Presley Gained Autonomy Beyond Her Identity as Elvis' Wife
While Priscilla was romantically involved with Robert Kardashian Sr., the iconic rock star contacted her in the dead of night.
“Robert was deeply asleep beside me when the telephone chimed at 2 a.m.,” she documented. “Luckily, he was a heavy sleeper, so I sprang from bed and answered the call before it disturbed him. Elvis was phoning from his hotel following a show.”
She elucidated to her audience that it “unquestionably never crossed Elvis’s mind” that she might be accompanied by another person.
“In spite of our marital dissolution, he remained unable to comprehend my involvement with someone else,” she further stated. Neither Elvis nor Kardashian were aware of that late-night communication.
