La moglie di Elvis Presley, Priscilla, appare straordinaria oggi a 75 anni

Gen 01, 2021 by apost team

Priscilla Ann Presley ha compiuto 75 anni quest'anno. Conosciuta soprattutto per essere l'ex moglie del re del rock n' roll, il defunto Elvis Presley, la donna nata a New York ha continuato a vivere la sua vita senza di lui per 43 anni. Continuate a leggere per scoprire com'è oggi.

"Volevo morire." Queste furono le parole di Priscilla Ann Presley dopo aver saputo della morte del suo ex marito, Elvis Presley. I due erano divorziati da quattro anni, ma Priscilla continuava a dire che lui era "l'amore della [sua] vita." In un'intervista del 2016, Priscilla ha affermato: "Non ho divorziato da lui perché non lo amavo. Era l'amore della mia vita, ma dovevo scoprire il mondo." Il loro divorzio si è concluso il 9 ottobre 1973 e Elvis è andato incontro alla sua fine il 16 agosto 1977.

I due si erano incontrati in Germania durante il periodo in cui Elvis era nell'esercito americano e quando Priscilla e la sua famiglia si erano spostati nel paese perché suo padre era stato trasferito dall'aviazione militare in cui prestava servizio.

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Il loro rapporto è stato controverso: Priscilla aveva solo 14 anni quando ha iniziato a frequentare Elvis. È stato anche ampiamente riportato che Elvis l'ha educata da adolescente, facendola vestire e apparire come lui voleva, spesso in sintonia con il suo stile. Mentre erano ancora sposati, la coppia viveva a Memphis, nel Tennessee, nella casa conosciuta come "Graceland." La coppia ha avuto una figlia insieme, Lisa-Marie Presley, che Priscilla ha dato alla luce quando aveva 23 anni. Nei primi mesi del 1972, Priscilla lasciò Elvis a causa della pressione del suo stile di vita.

Elvis non è più stato lo stesso dopo che lui e Priscilla si sono lasciati. Al raggiungimento dei 42 anni, Elvis aveva diversi problemi di salute che gli sono costati la vita nel 1977. Più tardi, il cantante aveva incontrato Ginger Alden, con la quale si era fidanzato. Ginger fu la donna che lo trovò disteso sul pavimento del bagno di casa sua. L'autopsia ha mostrato che Elvis era morto per arresto cardiaco. Era in sovrappeso e assumeva varie medicine.

Priscilla ha avuto diverse relazioni romantiche da quando lei ed Elvis si sono lasciati. Dopo il divorzio, si è subito messa con Mike Stone, un istruttore di karate che aveva dato lezioni sia a lei che a Elvis, come menzionato nel libro Black Belt, ma la relazione si è sciolta poco dopo, nel 1975. All'epoca aveva rapporti con alcune persone famose come il fotografo Terry O'Neill e l'avvocato Robert Kardashian. La relazione più lunga che Priscilla abbia avuto finora è stata con Marco Garibaldi, con il quale è stata per 22 anni. Garibaldi è uno sceneggiatore italiano diventato programmatore di computer, secondo quanto riporta Biography. I due hanno avuto un figlio insieme, Navarone Anthony Garibaldi, un musicista ora di 33 anni.

Mirror ha riferito nel 2017 che Priscilla è uscita con Tom Jones, il cantante gallese. Non è chiaro se i due siano una coppia a tutti gli effetti, ma in merito a Priscilla, Tom ha riferito: "Siamo amici da molto tempo." "È una donna adorabile," ha aggiunto. "Ci godiamo le nostre serate insieme." Secondo la pubblicazione, Tom era un amico intimo di Elvis e aveva trascorso del tempo sia con lui che con Priscilla tra gli anni Sessanta e Settanta.

È stato un anno difficile per tutti a causa della pandemia e Priscilla ha vissuto una tragedia quando all'inizio di quest'anno, Benjamin Keough, suo nipote, si è tolto la vita il 12 luglio 2020. Priscilla si è recata su Facebook per esprimere il suo dolore dopo la morte di Benjamin, scrivendo:

"Questi sono alcuni dei giorni più bui della vita della mia famiglia", ha scritto Priscilla. "Lo shock di aver perso Ben è stato devastante", ha continuato. "Cercare di rimettere insieme tutti i pezzi delle sue motivazioni è oramai qualcosa che è penetrato nella mia anima. Ogni giorno mi sveglio e prego che vada meglio."

Priscilla ha anche evidenziato l'immenso dolore che il resto della sua famiglia stava provando. "Penso a mia figlia e al dolore che sta attraversando perché è una madre affettuosa", ha scritto di sua figlia, Lisa-Marie.

"Penso al padre di Ben, Danny, che è completamente perso, poiché Ben era il suo unico figlio. Riley, così amorevole e così vicino a lui; Harper e Finley, che adoravano Ben. Navarone, che lotta tenacemente per affrontare la perdita e la morte."

Priscilla è molto lontana dal suo essere "la bambola vivente di Elvis", come lei stessa ha raccontato. Sono finiti i giorni in cui le faceva tingere i capelli di nero come i suoi e glieli faceva raccogliere in uno chignon che si abbinava al suo stile. Ma è stato questo che l'ha resa un'icona della moda. E ora, a 75 anni, ha un aspetto tutt'altro che trasandato.

In recent years Priscilla Presley has found her footing in philanthropy and charitable work. An avid animal lover, especially of horses, in 2013 she spoke out against the Tennessee Ag-Gag Bill, writing about her and Elvis Presley’s love of horses and her worries that the bill would reduce protections for many farm animals, including horses. Just this last December she posted on her Instagram about stopping the abuse of horse soring. In her post, she urged fellow activists to write to their senators to get the law changed. She has also used her platform to advocate for the protection of dogs, wolves, lions, monkeys and other animals. It's always heartwarming to see a celebrity use their voice to do good, especially when it's for our furry friends who otherwise aren't able to speak up for themselves. 

Alongside her animal activism, Priscilla Presley is also an ambassador for the Dream Foundation. She's been involved with the foundation since 2003, which grants wishes to terminally ill adults and their families. Apparently, she learned of the organization, which is the only one of its kind that works with adults, after helping to grant some of the recipients' wishes to visit Graceland. 

Priscilla Presley was actually the co-executor of the entire Presley Estate before Lisa Marie came of age, assuming the role after the death of Elvis Presley’s father, Vernon Presley, in 1979. On her official website, it states how much of an influence Priscilla Presley has had on the estate, writing,

"She has since brought the Presley Estate from a burgeoning entity into a phenomenally successful organization consisting of the famous Graceland Mansion, a worldwide licensing program, merchandising, music publishing and television and video projects."

Interestingly, Priscilla Presley, along with her late daughter Lisa Presley, were only a few of the people allowed to enter the upstairs area of Elvis Presley’s Graceland mansion. Elvis Presley had a master suite on the second floor of the house, which was his private refuge, where only the closest of his friends would be allowed. It's also there, in his bathroom, where his body was found after his death. When Graceland was opened to the public in 1982, the second floor was closed off out of respect to Elvis Presley’s family and to avoid unsavory attention towards the location of his death.

In the decades that have passed, the upstairs has gained a lot of attention and a kind of myth around it. For example, there are rumors that the bedroom suite hasn't been changed since he died, with everything as it was when he passed. On top of that, no authentic high-quality photos have been released, while nobody is allowed to enter, except for Priscilla Presley and previously Lisa Marie, as well as the curator of Graceland. 

Notable people, including presidents and foreign dignitaries, have all tried to gain access but haven't been lucky. However, funnily enough, one notable but seemingly random celebrity has been there — Nicholas Cage, when he was married to Lisa Presley in the 2000s.

But beyond upholding her ex-husband's legacy and her charitable work, she's also managed to have an acting career of her own. She famously starred on the soap opera “Dallas” from 1983-1988, playing the role of Jenna Wade. She was also memorable in the “Naked Gun” movie series, which allowed her to show another side of her acting talents, this time focusing on comedy. In the 1990s, she also had small guest roles on “Melrose Place” and “Spin City.”

However, her acting career could have taken off much earlier had it not been for Elvis Presley. Supposedly he believed that "a woman's place was in the home looking after her man" — a fairly common belief at the time, but one that the rock star held on to, having no intention of letting his wife have a career of her own. Hollywood producer Hal B. Wallis, who was behind many of Elvis Presley’s early films, had been interested in signing Priscilla Presley to a contract, but it never came to be. She had been interested in dancing and modeling but kept her interests as minor hobbies rather than real career pursuits. She was even offered the role of one of the angels in “Charlie's Angels,” however, she turned it down as she didn't like the show.

Despite her life being very much influenced by her incredibly famous ex-husband, Priscilla Presley has managed to achieve a lot over the course of it. From eventually following her own dreams and acting, to her continued charitable work, she is both an inspiration in how she conducts herself as well as how incredible she looks at 78.

One little known fact about Priscilla Presley is that she was a contestant on ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars” back in 2008. For the show’s sixth season, she joined forces with Dutch-American ballroom dancer Louis Van Amstel.

The show’s sixth season included female contestants tennis champion Monica Seles, actress Shannon Elizabeth, Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin, Tony-award winning actress Marissa Jaret Winokur and Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi. Meanwhile, the men’s side featured football player Jason Taylor, South American actor Cristian de la Fuente, actor Steve Guttenberg, radio host Adam Carolla, pop singer Mario and magician Penn Jillette.

In an ABC interview before the show’s premiere, Priscilla Presley told reporters that she did have some previous dancing experience in ballet.

"I danced a little. I took jazz, which is completely different from ballroom dancing," Priscilla Presley told ABC. "There's a little dancing in all of us."

Naturally, Priscilla Presley’s partner and coach was excited to work with the star regardless of her experience.

"We met two days ago. We did a little bit of foxtrot. She's going to be a surprise," Louis Van Amstel said. "I'm so excited. I mean come on, it's Priscilla Presley."

Unfortunately, Priscilla Presley wasn’t able to overcome the sixth season’s tough competition, and she was eliminated during the fifth round. According to PEOPLE, she lost points and was eliminated due to her Viennese Waltz performance, which led to a score of only 22. The magazine further reports that when Tom Bergeron, the show’s host, told her the news, Presley hugged her partner and thanked the show for “an incredible life-changing experience.”

Interestingly enough, viewers who have seen Priscilla Presley’s appearances will notice that she never danced to any Elvis Presley songs. And it turns out that this was intentional. According to ABC, Priscilla Presley agreed to be on the show, but she also specifically requested not to have to dance to her late ex-husband’s music.

"I just don't really think that would be appropriate," she told ABC.

Since Priscilla Presley’s loss on the show, the 78-year-old has avoided the spotlight. Save for her Instagram account, where she has more than 200,000 followers, it’s difficult to find out what the star is up to. With that said, her IMDb page does give us some hints. For example, her most recent appearance was in a 2016 music video for Them Guns’ song “Muffins.” The music video, which heavily features the streets of Hollywood and the radio host Rodney Bingenheimer, follows the radio star as he drives to a bakery to pick up a muffin. As Bingenheimer leaves, he runs into none other than Priscilla Presley.

Although appearances like these are certainly interesting — especially for fans of the Presleys — we can also understand why Priscilla Presley wants to fly under the radar. Ever since she was a young woman, she’s been in the spotlight. And now, as she approaches 76, it’s no wonder that she wants a bit of peace and quiet.

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