Priscilla Presley's Memoir 'Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis' Revelations — Including Secret Affairs and Why She Despised Michael Jackson

Priscilla Presley has opened the floodgates of her emotions in her heartfelt memoir, Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis.

Released on September 23, the 80-year-old actress, known for her role in The Naked Gun, delves deep into the heart-wrenching experiences of her life, particularly the devastating day Lisa Marie Presley was taken off life support.

RadarOnline.com unveils some significant revelations from this poignant memoir.

“The day I took Lisa off life support was the second saddest of my life after losing Elvis [Presley],” shares Priscilla. “Realizing she was gone took a significant time to process.”

Priscilla maintains that she felt her daughter’s absence “the moment” she entered Lisa Marie’s hospital room. “She was reliant on machines for breathing, and although her heart was still beating, her spirit was absent,” she writes. “Riley [Keough] mentioned feeling her mother’s spirit depart while still in transit. Yet, none of us were prepared to let go.”

After an emergency procedure, the doctor asked Priscilla about the next step. “They had revived Lisa’s heart, but there was no promise it would keep beating. I queried the doctor, ‘What sort of life would she have if we prolonged this?'” Priscilla recalled, ultimately deciding to relieve her daughter of suffering.

“It was an unbearable moment,” she described about the decision. “My tears flowed as I collapsed — Ivy had to support me. After that, everything went dark; I don’t recall those moments, nor do I wish to.”

Priscilla vividly discusses Lisa Marie’s emotional turmoil after the loss of her son, Benjamin Keough, in 2020. “He was everything to her,” Priscilla writes. “Following his passing, she felt her desire to live dwindle. I reminded her, ‘You have the twins; they need you.'” Priscilla noted how hard Lisa tried to maintain her strength for her other children.

In her memoir, Priscilla relives a dramatic moment when Elvis called her while she was with Robert Kardashian Sr. “He never considered I might be with another man,” she described, reflecting on the complexities of her past relationship. She illustrates the tension surrounding their past love, hinting that had Elvis known of Robert’s presence, it would have led to a volatile confrontation.

Luckily for her, Kardashian was a “heavy sleeper,” enabling her to move to the guest room to speak with Elvis without alarming him. She recalls Robert as a delightful person who desired marriage, albeit she felt unprepared for that commitment.

In addition to Lisa Marie, Priscilla shares her story as the mother of Navarone Garibaldi, her son with Marco Garibaldi, born in 1987. Her memoir touches upon Navarone’s struggles with substance abuse, detailing the horrors of his withdrawal experiences. Priscilla notes, “He expressed that withdrawing from fentanyl felt like a 10 on a scale of pain, compared to a 6.5 from heroin. In both instances, we rallied around him, and he persevered.”

Despite her divorce from the “King of Rock and Roll,” Priscilla shows unwavering commitment to keeping her family united. “I wanted to ensure that, regardless of circumstances, she saw her father regularly,” she recalls regarding Lisa Marie’s relationship with Elvis.

In a poignant excerpt published by CBS News, Priscilla recounts the moment she learned about Elvis’s death.

“On August 16, 1977, I was set to meet my sister for lunch on Melrose Avenue on an unusually cool summer day. As I approached the restaurant, my sister rushed up to me with alarming news; something terrible had happened to Elvis,” she recalls, reflecting on the overwhelming sense of dread that washed over her as the news sunk in.

Returning home post-Elvis’s death, Priscilla struggled to come to terms with the absence of her former husband. “The battle to accept that he was gone was ongoing. I would awaken each morning only to be reminded of the reality: Elvis wasn’t here anymore. The thought was terrifying,” she expressed, reflecting on the profound grief engulfing her.

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Priscilla described Elvis’s funeral as “an international event.” There, Lisa Marie finally had a moment of closure as she placed a silver bracelet on his wrist, inscribed with, “I love you, Daddy.” Priscilla shared, “Together we kissed him one last time, and that moment shattered my denial; the reality of his absence set in as I felt his cold, still body.” The experience left her anguished and empty.’

Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis offers an eye-opening perspective on Lisa Marie’s marriage to Michael Jackson, whom Priscilla deemed a “manipulative man.” She expressed her shock upon learning about Lisa Marie’s intentions to marry Jackson in 1994.

“I instinctively knew that Michael had ulterior motives; marrying into the Presley family was part of his agenda,” she wrote, describing the marriage as an act of calculated perception following Jackson’s own public relations crises.

Priscilla elaborated on her suspicions, stating, “Michael was skilled in manipulation. His innocent façade was merely a performance.” Following their divorce in 1996, Priscilla felt an overwhelming sense of relief for her late ex-husband, Elvis.