Priscilla Presley has revealed new details about her marriage to Elvis Presley, including his strong reaction to her affair with karate instructor Mike Stone. In her upcoming memoir, Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis, Presley claims that Elvis considered hiring a hitman to kill Stone after learning about their relationship.
Key Takeaways
- Priscilla Presley claims Elvis wanted her lover, Mike Stone, killed.
- The affair began after Priscilla discovered Elvis's infidelities.
- Elvis's road manager, Joe Esposito, reportedly warned Priscilla.
- Priscilla clarified that the affair was not the reason for her divorce.
Details of the Affair and Elvis's Infidelity
Priscilla Presley’s memoir outlines the circumstances that led to her affair with Mike Stone. She began taking karate lessons to impress Elvis, who was also a karate enthusiast. However, she soon discovered evidence of Elvis's own infidelities.
According to a portion of the book obtained by Fox News Digital, Priscilla found their mailbox "stuffed full of letters from girls." This discovery provided her with "written proof of what I’d always feared." She described feeling "deeply hurt, but I was also furious."
Priscilla confronted Elvis, who initially denied the allegations, claiming the girls were lying. However, Priscilla stated that "turning the tables didn’t work" this time. She reasoned that if Elvis's affairs were none of her business, then her actions were also none of his.
Fact: The Memphis Mafia
Joe Esposito, mentioned by Priscilla, was Elvis Presley's longtime road manager and a prominent member of his inner circle, often referred to as the "Memphis Mafia." This group of friends and associates handled many aspects of Elvis's personal and professional life.
Elvis's Extreme Reaction to the News
Priscilla's memoir details Elvis's intense anger and jealousy when he learned about her relationship with Mike Stone. She recounted his declaration that Stone "had to die."
"Elvis found the thought of me with another man unbearable. In the weeks after my departure, he told the guys that Mike had to die. He even asked Joe [Esposito] to find a hit man," Priscilla revealed in her book.
Joe Esposito, Elvis's road manager, reportedly took the threat seriously. Priscilla stated that Esposito warned her to be cautious. He even advised against bringing their daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, to one of Elvis's shows in Las Vegas, fearing that seeing Priscilla might provoke Elvis further.
Over time, with the intervention and persuasion from Elvis's father and his inner circle, Elvis gradually abandoned the idea of harming Stone. Priscilla expressed relief, writing, "Thank God."
Priscilla's Perspective on Mutual Infidelity
In a recent interview on the Today show on Monday, September 22, Priscilla Presley discussed the mutual infidelities during her marriage to Elvis. She candidly stated that there were "too many of us" in the marriage, referring to the presence of other partners.
Priscilla explained that Elvis would often spend weekends with other women, creating a separate life. "They would go and meet Elvis at the house on weekends when he went, and it was another life," she said. Despite this, she maintained that when he returned home, he was still a "good husband."
Background: The Presley Marriage
Elvis and Priscilla Presley married on May 1, 1967, when Priscilla was 21 years old. Their relationship had begun years earlier when she was 14. They had one daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, born in 1968. The couple divorced in 1973, citing irreconcilable differences.
Clarifying the Reasons for Divorce
Priscilla Presley also used her memoir to clarify that her affair with Mike Stone was not the primary reason for her decision to file for divorce in 1972. She addressed another incident where Elvis had sex with her "forcefully" after discovering the affair.
She emphasized that this particular encounter was not the cause of their separation. Priscilla explained Elvis's mindset during that time. "Elvis had felt emasculated. He’d needed to prove to himself and to me that he could make love ‘like a real man,’ the way he imagined a karate master doing it," she wrote.
Priscilla distinguished between forceful and forcible, stating, "Elvis made love to me forcefully, not forcibly. His usual tenderness and consideration for me were missing. It was emotionally hurtful, and it left me with an unhappy memory of my last experience of sexual intimacy with Elvis. But it was not the reason I left."
Her account suggests a deeper, more complex set of issues contributed to the end of their marriage, beyond the immediate impact of her affair.
Other Revelations from the Memoir
Priscilla's memoir also includes other personal insights. She previously shared her strong disapproval of her daughter Lisa Marie Presley's brief marriage to Michael Jackson in the 1990s. In an earlier excerpt, Priscilla stated that this marriage "appalled" her.
The book aims to provide a comprehensive look at her life with and after Elvis, offering her perspective on many previously discussed events and relationships.
