The 22-Year Friendship

Ch. 49: D-I-V-O-R-C-E

A short chapter for my lovely readers. I plan to finish this story early-July. 

Months passed and I kept in contact with Elvis by phone. Many events happened while Elvis was busy as usual. On March 19th, 1973, Elvis' paternal grandfather, Jessie D. Presley, died from a heart attack in Louisville, Kentucky. This loss didn't affect Elvis emotionally because his grandfather wasn't close with him or his father. 

Life is a rollercoaster. Elvis' life had more downs than ups, and I witnessed or was often involved/pulled into the personal struggles he enduranced. Elvis and Priscilla were going through a somewhat long divorce process. Elvis was busy with his music and Priscilla was living a "normal" life. One day, she called me for advice about re-opening the divorce. 

Me: "Priscilla, shouldn't you be calling your lawyer instead of me? I am not familiar with divorce." 

Priscilla: "Well, I have talked to the pros. They say I can get a larger settlement than the one Elvis and I agreed on. However, I might be viewed as a... gold digger or greedy person." 

Me: "If you ask too much from Elvis, then you'll be viewed as a greedy person. But, what is too much? To that question, I have no answer to. I suggest you look towards your future.. Lisa's future. She'll be attending school soon." 

Priscilla took my advice. She began thinking about jobs that would interest her, and help supply some money for Lisa Marie. Elvis was the one to file for divorce so Priscilla's address wouldn't be on public records, for safety reasons including her and Lisa Marie.When I thought things had cleared up, they became cloudy again. 

It wasn't a secret among Elvis' close friends and family that he was used a lot of prescription drugs. All were prescriped by doctors for different medical reasons. It was a fact that Elvis had trouble sleeping and his schedule was different. Instead of sleeping at night, he would usually be performing concerts or awake and sleeping throughout the morning and afternoon hours. 

It was becoming problematic to Elvis' health and to his career. His debut at the Sahara wasn't amazing as people expected, and he often cancelled concerts due to "illness." The Colonel and Vernon were now becoming very concerned with Elvis' use with pills. Vernon begged me to talk to Elvis and somehow convince him to stop taking the pills. 

Vernon: "Lilly, please talk to Elvis. He ain't listenin' to the Colonel or even his own daddy. I'm sure he'll listen to ya. He's gotta listen." 

Me: "Vernon, I don't think I can do much in this situation. He must learn how to fight their inner demons to win the battle. If there was a person who could make him stop... it would be our beloved Gladys." 

Vernon: "If you don't have any faith in yourself, then The Colonel and I will have an investigation done." 

Me: "Good luck with that. Elvis is going to keep his mouth shut and won't work with the so-called investigators or lawyers you will have." 

I wanted to help Elvis as much as they did. It may have not been the same reasons as the Colonel, but the same reasons as Vernon. The fact that everyone couldn't accept was that Elvis wouldn't listen to anyone. He was capable of stopping the use of drugs, but knowing when that would happen was unknown. 

Priscilla and I had numerous conversations about Elvis' prescription drug use and his diet. Being the Southern man he was, he devoured lots of food. Performing numerous concerts kept him in action, but not like the 50's and 60's where he often played football and rode horses all day. Priscilla wanted Lisa Marie to have a father for as long as she could.

On October 9, 1973, Elvis and Priscilla's divorce was finalized. Priscilla called me when she arrived home from the Courthouse. 

Me: "Hello? Who am I speaking to?" 

Priscilla: "It's Priscilla.. Priscilla Pres-." 

Me: "I knew you would say it! Hi Priscilla Beaulieu. Was the divorce finalized today?" 

Priscilla: "Yes, it was. It was an amicable divorce, and I'm glad Elvis and I are still close friends. But after seeing him today, I'm very concerned. His face was bloated, and it's very visible that he has gained weight. The wife role switched on. We left the Courthouse holding hands, but it didn't hit me that I was no longer Elvis' wife until I drove my car home."

Me: "It'll take some time to get use to. I plan to talk to Elvis and some of the guys around him to investigate I guess. Wish me luck." 

Elvis and Priscilla were officially divorced. Now it was time for family and close friends to try and get help for Elvis.