Priscilla Presley is 80: a life between fame and loss

Priscilla Presley is 80: a life between fame and loss

Memphis, USA - On May 24, 2025, Priscilla Presley celebrates her 80th birthday and looks back on an eventful life. As a American actress and entrepreneur, she became known primarily through her marriage to the legendary Elvis Presley, the "King of Rock’ N ’Roll". Born on May 24, 1945 in Brooklyn, she grew up in a military family and found her way into the world of show business when she met the now world -famous musician in Bad Nauheim.

Priscilla Ann Wagner, as she is called with a full name, lost her biological father, who died when she was a baby when she was a baby. Her mother, Anna Lillian Iversen, later married the Canadian air weapon officer Paul Beaulieu, under his surname Priscilla. At the age of 14 she met Elvis, who was 10 years older at that time. Elvis promised to marry her as soon as she is of legal age.

the marriage to Elvis Presley

in May 1963 Priscilla moved to Memphis and lived on Elvis' estate Graceland before married on May 1, 1967 in Las Vegas. Her daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, was born nine months later. However, marriage only lasted six years, and the couple separated in 1972. The divorce was submitted on October 9, 1973. During her relationship, Priscilla was often faced with the challenges of Elvis' drug problems, which finally led to his early death on August 16, 1977. He died of heart failure at the age of 42, due to fatty addiction and drug abuse.

After the separation, Priscilla also found a certain stability in private life. She had a short romance with Robert Kardashian and lived in a 20-year relationship with Marco Garibaldi in the 1980s, from which her son Navarone Garibaldi emerged. Priscilla now has three grandchildren of Lisa Marie, who, however, died unexpectedly in January 2023 at the age of 54 of complications after an operation.

Graceland and the legacy of Elvis

Priscilla has campaigned for the legacy of Elvis for everyday life. In 1982 she transformed Graceland into a museum that has attracted around 500,000 visitors every year since then. The property is not only the final resting place of Elvis, but also from Lisa Marie and her grandson Benjamin Keough, who committed suicide in 2020. Priscilla emphasizes that despite these tragic losses, she has focused on the living, especially on her grandchildren and her son.

In the near future, Priscilla plans to publish her memoirs "Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis" in autumn 2025 and has already announced a bay tour in Great Britain for September 2025. So she remains a concise figure in public and still pulls a lot of strength from her former life with Elvis Presley.