Elvis Presley was popular as the ‘King of Rock and Roll’. He left at the mere age of 42 on August 16, 1977, within four years of his divorce from Priscilla Presley. Elvis enjoyed a great deal of female attention and was the heartthrob, with a huge fan base. But the handsome singer was head over heels in love with Priscilla, who was ten years younger than him.
Priscilla was just 14 when she met Elvis, and both fell in love. However, it was in 1967 that Elvis married Priscilla after seven and a half years of courtship. Their long-standing love was so strong that their divorce in 1973 was amicable. After the initial charm of marriage, issues began to arise. Despite the divorce, Elvis and Priscilla loved and respected each other and shared their joint custody of their daughter, Lisa Marie.
After being hopelessly in love with each other, Elvis and Priscilla’s marriage couldn’t stand the test of time, and the couple parted ways within five years. It is said that the failure of his marriage was a blow from which the singer never recovered. What led to their divorce? Let us read on to know more about it.
Why did Elvis Presley divorce Priscilla Presley?
There were problems, but Priscilla always loved being Elvis’ wife. She loved taking care of him and going to places with him. She once told the Guardian that they had issues in their marriage from the beginning; however, since she had known him since the age of 14, she was aware of what she was getting into.
Elvis Presley and Priscilla underwent a trial separation when she was pregnant
When Priscilla was seven months pregnant, Elvis asked her for a trial separation, and the two separated for a short time before the birth of Lisa Marie. However, things changed dramatically after Lisa was born. He would not sleep with her, and she felt uneasy about it. In a book written by Priscilla, she mentioned the same and wrote:
“He had mentioned before we were married that he had never been able to make love to a woman who’d had a child.”
Elvis Presley and Priscilla went on to have extramarital affairs
Elvis was a popular figure with women swooning over him. But despite his marriage to Priscilla, he was reported to have had affairs with many women and continued to cheat her. On the other hand, she too went on to have an affair with the owner of a dance studio. In 1971, Elvis’ affair with Joyce Bova resulted in her pregnancy and abortion.
During that time, Priscilla had an affair with a karate instructor, and when Elvis got to know about it, he threatened her. She left Elvis in 1972, and their divorce was finalised in 1973. After their divorce, Elvis and Priscilla shared the joint custody of their daughter, Lisa. In a 2016 interview, Priscilla talked about her divorce from Elvis and shared:
“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.”
Elvis Presley’s divorce from Priscilla was a major blow to him
Despite parting ways, Elvis and Priscilla remained deeply in love with each other. In fact, they left the courtroom arm in arm, and he even sang Dolly Parton’s I Will Always Love You to her. However, the divorce had a very bad impact on Elvis as he struggled to sleep and was dependent on pills. His dependency on pills to chase away the blues became extreme.
However, he performed in numerous stage shows to overcome his personal problems. Despite his failing health, he undertook another intensive touring schedule in 1974. His overdose of drugs deteriorated his condition so much that during one of his concerts, he fell out of his limousine and couldn’t even walk up to the stage.
Priscilla spoke about learning Elvis’ condition when she held his hand, which is when she first realised how far his health issues had progressed due to his drug use. In her words:
“As Elvis’s fingers touched mine, I grew alarmed. His hands, always smooth, were puffy, swollen. I knew something was different; something was wrong. I could see it in his eyes, I could feel it in his hands.”
Elvis Presley died in 1977, four years after his divorce from Priscilla.
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