Elvis Presley would have celebrated his 86th birthday on Friday, Jan. 8. While many gave tributes to the legacy of The King, his ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, shared how she would have celebrated with him.
Presley could party back in the day. Prior to his death at Graceland from a heart attack in 1977, he was the life of the party.
In a Facebook post, Priscilla wrote that she suspected as a “creature of habit” he would be celebrated “exactly the same way” even in 2020. He would invite his Memphis Mafia and fill the Graceland with a huge swarm of family and friends.
It’s difficult to believe Elvis would be 86 today, January 8th. I think back and wonder…if he were here today, how…
Posted by Priscilla Presley on Friday, January 8, 2021
He would be at center of everything and his voice and personality would carry the party.
“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, he turns to his guest and nods with satisfaction as everyone applauds for more. Those are cherished moments embedded in my mind,” Priscilla wrote.
Even at 86, it’s easy to picture a healthy and happy Elvis. At the same time, it’s so heartbreaking, since The King died at the young age of 42.
Priscilla Presley also wrote that Elvis was “uncomfortable and a bit shy in receiving presents. Your presence was enough.” It’s difficult to picture what you would give the man who seemingly had it all, anyways.
Elvis and Priscilla Presley
The two were married from 1967 to 1973. The two first met when he was 24 and she was 14. They met each other while Elvis was stationed in West Germany during his time in the U.S. Army.
Elvis developed a strange liking toward the fact that she was younger. He often said that she was “young enough that I can train her any way I want.” Eventually, the relationship would end when Priscilla gripped for more control over her own life.
She described herself as “Elvis’ living doll, to fashion as he pleased.” She had matching black hair, an elaborate updo, and similar styles of clothing.
The two got married in 1967 and shortly after Priscilla got pregnant. From there, things started to go downhill for the couple. He said he would never make love to a woman who had a child, so she sought love and attention elsewhere. Both had affairs during their marriage. Eventually, they were divorced in 1973 after Priscilla told Elvis she was leaving him.
“I did not divorce him because I didn’t love him. He was the love of my life, but I had to find out about the world,” she said in a 2016 interview with ET.
Children and Family Together
A part of what Priscilla romanticizes about spending a birthday with Elvis again was gathering with family.
The couple had a daughter together, Lisa Marie Presley. She then had four children of her own, Riley Keough, Harper Lockwood, and Finley Lockwood.
On July 12, 2020, Elvis’ only grandson, Benjamin Keough, took his own life.
Lisa Marie Presley wrote on her Instagram, “My beautiful beautiful angel. I worshipped the ground you walked on, on this earth and now in Heaven. My heart and soul went with you. The depth of the pain is suffocating and bottomless without you every moment of every day. I will never be the same.”
H/T: Popculture, Biography
