Entertainment

Priscilla Presley: Elvis is still alive in ‘everything we do’

He died 40 years ago this week.
He died 40 years ago this week. He died 40 years ago this week.

The ex-wife of Elvis Presley has revealed she still finds it difficult to believe the king of rock’n’roll is not alive.

Wednesday marks the 40th anniversary of the musician’s death and it coincides with the announcement that a retrospective exhibition celebrating his life is to visit London.

Priscilla Presley, 72, who wed the star in 1967, said she would never forget the events of August 16, 1977.

Elvis Presley memorabilia exhibition – London
Elvis Presley memorabilia exhibition – London
Priscilla Presley poses next to Elvis’s Lincoln Continental (Jonathan Brady/PA)

She told the Press Association: “You never get it out of your mind.

“It’s still difficult to believe that Elvis is gone.

“In everything we do, we try to make sure his DNA is there… it keeps him alive. He still exists, he is still here.”

On the exhibition, which features more than 200 items from the Graceland archives including Presley’s jumpsuits, guitars and silk scarves, she added: “I’m just so awed by looking at the artefacts and his life and all the things he accomplished. And his impact resonates, it truly resonates.”

Elvis Presley memorabilia exhibition – London
Elvis Presley memorabilia exhibition – London
Priscilla Presley (Jonathan Brady/PA

The exhibition comes three years after a similar retrospective at the O2 attracted more than 200,000 visitors over nine months.

Priscilla Presley said she finds meeting fans at such events “overwhelming”.

She added: “I really got the impact of a love and support that still stands for him. I was actually taken aback by the impact Elvis had, it was beyond anything I had ever imagined.”

Album charts
Album charts
Elvis Presley (RCA Records)

Asked how she remembers the man she first met when she was 14, she said: “I remember him the same… just an amazing human being.

“I remember the fun we had, the sense of humour he had and his laugh, it was so contagious.

“His very quirky humour which would make us all laugh. And I just remember the good times.”

Priscilla will appear at The O2 herself on November 30 as she joins the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra on stage as part of the Elvis In Concert – Live On Stage UK tour.

:: Elvis On Tour The Exhibition, which focuses on the musician’s career between 1969 and 1977, opens on November 3.