Priscilla Presley has recently released her memoir Softly, as I Leave You: Life After Elvis. In this memoir, Presley talks about her life with and after Elvis. The book has sections discussing her self-discovery and reinvention. Along with her opening up about her journey as a woman, she also talked about being a mother and other relationships.
Presley also gave a candid interview on The View for her book. During this interview, she opened about what she thought was an unusual relationship between her daughter Lisa Marie and Michael Jackson.
She talked about the whirlwind romance that led the couple to marry in haste and how she still believes the reason behind it all was – Elvis Presley.
In her interview with The View, Priscilla Presley told the hosts that she knew Michael Jackson was a huge fan of Lisa Marie and believes that it could be an important factor behind him choosing to marry Lisa Marie.
Priscilla said that Michael Jackson had always been fascinated by Elvis. Jackson admired her husband both as an artist and as a cultural icon. And she thinks it was this deep admiration for the late rock-and-roll legend that might have motivated Jackson to pursue her daughter so intently.
“Michael really, really was a huge fan of Elvis,” Priscilla said. “I think there was a lot of pressure for Lisa. He was so famous, and she wanted to support him. But I also felt at times he might have been using her — for publicity, for the connection to Elvis.
Lisa Marie Presley was the only daughter of Elvis and Priscilla. She married the ‘King of the Pop’, Michael Jackson in 1994. Their wedding was one of the biggest events of the year and the marriage in itself was the one of the most high-profile unions ever in the music industry.
Such a high-profile union was sure to raise public interest, and it did. With media outlets scrutinizing every moment of the newly-wed’s life, it remains in the public eye more than it should have.
People were quick to pass judgement where many called the marriage a publicity stunt. Michael was going through a rough patch in his music career and many believed this wedding was orchestrated to improve his image.
In her memoir, Priscilla mentioned that she was skeptical of the union from the very beginning.
“I questioned their compatibility,” she wrote. “I worried about the pressures Lisa would face. And I wondered if Michael’s fascination with Elvis played too big a role.”
The marriage did not even last for two years and ended in a divorce in 1996. Over the years, both Lisa Marie and Michael Jackson maintained that the love between them was genuine.
However, Lisa Marie once told Oprah that she really loved Jackson and it was the constant scrutiny that broke the relationship. She accepted that they couldn’t keep their private life private and that led it to its ultimate end.
Priscilla’s recent comments suggested that family members were not happy with the way Jackson and Lisa Marie came too close too quickly.
“It was a very strange time,” Priscilla said in the interview. “Lisa loved Michael, but she also wanted to save him. That’s a lot of pressure for anyone.”
The marriage between Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Jackson still remains one of the most talked-about celebrity relationships. It was a fascinating intersection in music where two dynasties walked together, briefly.
