Priscilla Presley reveals abortion offer, Elvis assault claim, and Michael Jackson concerns in new memoir

Priscilla Presley reveals in her memoir Softly, As I Leave You that Elvis Presley offered for her to have an abortion when she became pregnant with Lisa Marie, and that the couple were not ready for a child. The 80-year-old former Dallas actress writes that Elvis’s words served as a wake-up call, and that she chose to carry the baby to term. The book, which Page Six previewed, also chronicles Priscilla’s reflections on her daughter’s upbringing, her own decisions, and the family’s public life.

Priscilla writes that Lisa Marie was a “conundrum, complicated and challenging” and a “free spirit, a determined and restless soul.” She says Lisa Marie, born in February 1968 after a Las Vegas wedding, grew up under a bright spotlight and later faced financial woes and years of drug abuse before her death at 54 in January 2023. Elvis and Priscilla’s early marriage, forged when she was just 21 and he 32, is described with fresh detail, including the moment they learned she was pregnant on their wedding night. “Neither Elvis nor I was ready for a child,” Priscilla recalled, describing the pressure they felt as newlyweds.

Priscilla writes that Elvis later became involved in Lisa Marie’s life in various complicated ways, and she details how she introduced her daughter to Scientology, noting she was “naive” about the religion at the time. The memoir also covers Lisa Marie’s experiences growing up in the shadow of her father’s fame, including periods of financial strain and substance use that would dog her for years. The book portrays Lisa Marie as strong-willed, reminding readers that she inherited her father’s charisma and his vulnerability in equal measure as she navigated school, friendships, and the demands of being Elvis’s daughter.

Priscilla also revisits the couple’s marriage and Elvis’s infidelities. She says Elvis, who often cheated, was deeply unsettled by Lisa Marie’s single status and later her choice to marry Michael Jackson in 1994. She describes Elvis as being upset to the point of considering drastic measures, including conversations with friends about drastic actions regarding Mike Stone, who trained Lisa Marie’s karate instructor and had an intimate connection to her life. Priscilla adds that Elvis once searched for ways to contain the situation and that she never fully trusted Jackson, a sentiment she attributes to the complicated dynamics around Lisa Marie’s marriage.

The memoir recounts how Lisa Marie’s relationships and financial fortunes evolved after inheriting her father’s estate. By the mid-2000s, Lisa Marie faced hardship that included a decline in her financial standing and a well-documented struggle with opioids. Priscilla recalls being appalled by Lisa Marie’s decision to marry Michael Jackson, and she notes that Jackson’s own public image and legal troubles complicated the portrayal of their union. The author suggests Jackson sought to project a certain image in marrying Lisa Marie, while her daughter’s life was shaped by the pressures of fame, the celebrity circle, and the lingering losses of her family.

Priscilla describes the long arc of Lisa Marie’s life, including the challenges of drug addiction and the legal storms that accompanied Lisa Marie’s custody battles over her children. She writes of taking custody of Lisa Marie’s twins during a contentious custody dispute with Lisa Marie’s third husband, Michael Lockwood, and of the presidents of the family’s emotional toll as Lisa Marie’s health deteriorated. The memoir notes Lisa Marie’s 2014 and 2016 episodes involving rehabilitation and court filings, and it details Priscilla’s own attempts to support her daughter while facing an immense familial strain.

The book also reflects on the deaths that haunted the family. Lisa Marie’s son Benjamin Keough died by suicide in 2020, an event Priscilla says marked a turning point in her daughter’s life. She writes that Lisa Marie’s health crisis culminated in a cardiac arrest in January 2023 and describes the difficult decision to remove Lisa Marie from life support after she could not be revived. In the final pages, Priscilla memorializes her daughter with tenderness and a sense of enduring loss: “My little wild child, I love you forever.”

The revelations in Softly, As I Leave You add a fresh, highly personal layer to the public narratives about Elvis, Lisa Marie, and the broader Presley family. Priscilla’s memoirs come as the family continues to manage the legacy of Graceland and the enduring cultural footprint of Elvis Presley, whose 1960s and 1970s era remains a touchstone for fans and scholars alike. The book’s disclosures about private moments—ranging from abortion discussions to fears about Lisa Marie’s safety and wellbeing—offer a stark look at the pressures that often accompany fame and the deeply human costs of living under a relentless glare.

As the Presley family monitors the ongoing reception of the memoir, Priscilla emphasizes that her goal is to document a personal history with honesty, rather than to settle scores. While some readers may find the disclosures provocative, many will see them as part of a larger effort to understand the emotional complexities of a family shaped by extraordinary public attention and the universal, enduring ache of losing a child.