He was so shy about admitting he even had a problem.. Elvis Presley, was still wearing her 11 1/2-carat diamond engagement ring as she recalled the final hours of the singer's life. Elvis's identical twin brother, Jesse Garon Presley, was delivered 35 minutes before him, stillborn. Money only goes so far. Charlie Hodge, Elvis longtime guitarist, kept a brush handy. They were all staring at me and pointing. After Elvis Presleys death on August 16, 1977 at Graceland, his will appointed his father, Vernon Presley, as executor and trustee. She looks like she was a sweet girl. But the infamous musician was engaged to Ginger Alden before his death. One former National Enquirer reporter, who played a part in that papers acquisition of the famed last picture of Elvis in his coffin, remembered: As a war correspondent, I had covered the war in Bangladesh and two wars in the Middle East and a revolution in Ethiopia. The next day I ended up in the bus in front of to the cortge, Murray, 67, continued, It was an extraordinary thing to seehundreds of thousands of people standing in a really hot day waiting.. British Press said: KING ELVIS DEAD AT 42 AND ALONE. . He was just 42 years old. During the funeral, Vernon reportedly welcomed more than 30,000 people from the entranceway of Graceland to allow people to pay their respects. Following publication of the Kennedy article, Vernon Presley confided to a journalist friend, She not only insulted the memory of Elvis, she insulted her own family name., (There were no startling revelations in the Kennedy article. . On August 7th, Elvis had rented Libertyland, a local amusement park, from midnight till dawn. After calling Elvis kinfolk in Mississippi, the reporter was asked, What kind of money are we talkin about for this interview? After explaining that she couldnt offer payment, a reporter never got a call back. She says he told her he had never been in love like that before. She says that they were happily and excitedly discussing wedding plans on the very night he died. Burt Reynolds, Ann-Margaret, John Wayne and Roger Smith attended the private funeral service. The actress explained that she had noticed Elvis hadnt sent her any flowers for her latest performance in Las Vegas a familiar gesture for Elvis, signifying to Ann-Margret that something was wrong. With those calls, I said to myself, What in the hell would Elvis like to have been said about him? . On January 8, 1977, Elvis Presley was found dead in his Graceland bathroom. Ginger Alden, the dark-haired beauty who in five months was to become the next Mrs. Elvis Presley, was still wearing her 11 1/2-carat diamond engagement ring as she recalled the final hours of the singer's life. As his time in the Army came to a close, Priscilla wanted to do so, but Elvis told her, Someday we will, Priscilla, but not now. October 2, 1977 : After grave robbers tried to steal Elvis casket he is entering his last journey. Kennedy--who everyone assumed had come to pay her familys respects--was admitted to Graceland by Elvis friend and Memphis disc jockey George Klein. Unfortunately, Presley died prior to tying the knot with Alden. ET. Lisa Marie Presley retains 100% sole personal ownership of Graceland Mansion itself and its over 13-acre original grounds and her fathers personal effects meaning costumes, wardrobe, awards, furniture, cars, etc.. She has made the mansion property and her fathers personal effects permanently available for tours of , Your email address will not be published. Linda and Elvis broke up in late 1976 because she wanted a more normal life, but the two remained friends until he died less than a year later. A graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, he lives in Brooklyn, where he can be found DJing '60s soul records. Calder is insistent: It was a terrific news photo at the time. West said he had no regrets about having written the book. I was dumbfounded., Elliott bolted to the emergency room (I didnt wait for an elevator--I took the stairs). More than 4,500 separate floral arrangements (some shaped like guitars) were ultimately picked bare by the very fans whod sent them. Miss Alden, wearing the black dress she wore only hours earlier to the funeral, said she wanted to convince herself Presley was not dead. Like the Memphis woman whose house included an Elvis shrine, complete with stained glass portrait of Elvis and a red velvet altar. . . When Presley died, as far as our editor was concerned, nothing else in the world happened that day, said Thomas. But as everyone knows, Elvis did everything in excess. Elvis Presley: Ginger Alden says there are a lot of untruths Elvis gave Ginger a massive diamond engagement ring in his final months. She lives in Los Angeles with her mother, Elvis former wife, Priscilla Beaulieu. 6 and sped north on Elvis Presley Boulevard. Did Ginger Alden attend Elvis funeral? Contents What celebrities were at Elvis funeral? More than 20,000 fans endured oppressive heat (temperatures in excess of 90) to await their turn to pass through the gates of Graceland and enter the mansion. Matthew McConaughey Voices Elvis Presley in Priscilla-Approved Animated Series Agent Elvis Everyone knows Elvis Presleys relationship with Priscilla Presley. How Can We Protect Against Galvanic Corrosion? He told me a story of how the two met one day on the way to the studio in the mid-60s. Officially, Elvis death--at age 42--was attributed to cardiac arrhythmia brought on by an irregular heartbeat caused by undetermined causes., In initial interviews, Elvis personal physician, Dr. George Nichopoulos, denied any drug problems. He had planned to announce their engagement publicly on his upcoming tour in Memphis; sadly, he died before this could happen. Despite not touching the upstairs areas, Lisa Marie and her family will often stay at the Graceland mansion and have even celebrated holidays at the home. . Did Ginger Alden sell her engagement ring from Elvis? Jordan Runtagh is an Executive Podcast Producer at iHeartRadio, where he hosts a slate of pop culture shows including Too Much Information, Inside the Studio, Off the Record and Rivals: Music's Greatest Feuds. The fee for this exploit was--depending on who one talks to--somewhere between $35,000 and $75,000. The Denver Posts editorial declared: SUDDENLY WE FEEL OLDER. We were in a tough situation--because we knew Elvis Presley was dead, but we also had an obligation to his family. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Did JOHN WAYNE and Elvis ever meet? Ginger Alden, Presley's former fiance and final companion who found him dead in his bathroom in 1977, penned a tribute to the King of Rock and Roll's daughter, whom she had known for a short time before Elvis' untimely death. He smiled grimly, pointing out that almost two years later, Rivera would do a 20/20 show about Elvis misuse of prescription drugs. 1. Who was Elvis engaged to when he died? Elvis Presley: What the Kings Father Explained to His Sons Co-Star Ann-Margret at His Funeral. Everybody, quote, knows who took that picture. 2. Meanwhile, miles away in Las Vegas, Elvis' ex-girlfriend, Ann-Margret, knew something terrible had happened to the Blue Suede Shoes singer. From the Nevada State Journal came, simply: NONE BIGGER. Elvis Presleys Ex-Girlfriend Claimed He Thought Affairs Were Different for Men I Was Deeply Hurt By His Need to Be With Other Women After Elvis Presley divorced Priscilla Presley, his wife of six years, in 1973, he began a four-year relationship with Linda Thompson. Some of the Memphis Mafia thought that she was no good for Presley. > the National Enquirer before she called for help for Elvis. People were crying, said Elliott, and then Joe Esposito made the point that everyone should pull themselves together, so that when they left the hospital no one could see them like this.. If you know anything about how TV shows are done, you know thats extraordinary, said West. In. Thats what happened with the drugs.. Its a secret. Elvis Presley died 10 years ago this day. His personal doctor, George Nichopoulos, was administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In it, she explains how she met the star and their relationship up until his death. I ran into this guy who worked in a drugstore in Detroit. Particularly featured was Heavenly Father.. Because of his longtime tenure with Elvis, and because Esposito was initially credited with finding the body (reports would later clarify that it was fiancee Ginger Alden who first made the discovery), he had dozens of requests for interviews. Ron and Elvis both died on August 16. They put Elvis, in his blue pajamas, into Unit No. Priscilla and Elvis Presley at their 1967 wedding. ago. I just froze. 6, a Modular Rev Ambulance an orange and white boxlike structure affixed to a GMC chassis turned on the siren and headed south. Related After Ginger, 61, got wind of 72-year-old Priscilla's appearance on news program Sunday Night, she took to Facebook to launch a furious attack against Elvis . But word had already gotten out: They were on to us, said Elliott, because Elvis had come into the hospital in a fire department ambulance. For the next 30 minutes, the hospital fielded a deluge of calls from reporters. On Saturday, June 23, 2001 at 1:14:52 AM UTC-7, saltillo wrote: > Lately I've read all messages here concerning Ginger Alden, and I just. Elvis Presleys ex-lover Ann-Margret attended the funeral proceedings and spent some time with his father, Vernon Presley. And going out the gates in the limo and seeing the streets lined up on both sides all the way to the cemetery. The bell rang, and I opened the door and said, Caroline, come on in. She never let on that she was free-lance writing for Rolling Stone., Added Klein, That was a cheap-shot way to get a story.. Because of Elvis love for his mother, his father knew hed want to be buried next to her. He had taken his kids to their dentist when he chanced to call into his office for messages. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. "I grew to care deeply for her and felt the same from her.". So, of course, I asked him Why? And he looked at me and said, Well, man, its the king. Just like I should know., That is: It was as if the whole city of Memphis got together and worked to produce Elvis final show.. Then he just got in his car and headed for Memphis. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. By her own admission, she had never been much of anywhere. Sometime near 2:30 p.m., his girlfriend, Ginger Alden, found him lying face down on the floor . Ginger Alden, his fiance at the time, found him on his bathroom floor where he had been for hours. He made me comfortable.. Instead, she delivered straightforward descriptions of those she saw in Graceland, including Elvis Presley, whose face seemed swollen and his sideburns reached his chin. And she included descriptions of the interior, such as: Potted plastic palms surrounded the coffin and on the wall was a painting of a skyline on black velveteen.), A few would see the Kennedy piece as somewhat of a journalistic coup. Ginger Alden was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1956. . He shook his head. Over the course of his career, he's profiled the surviving Beatles, Brian Wilson, Aretha Franklin, Roger Waters, David Byrne, Pete Townshend, Debbie Harry, Quincy Jones, Brian May, Jerry Lee Lewis, James Taylor and many more. You do it. , So Elliott made the announcement: And, to tell you the truth, Im not sure what all I said at the time., What followed was sort of a mad-dash-to-the-phone type of thing.. While Elvis Presley was seemingly smitten with Ginger Alden enough to buy her a $70,000 diamond ring not all of his friends approved. The Aldens. We lived at the Beverly Wilshire. . In 1976, the year she met Elvis Presley, Ginger Alden, at 19, was a teenage beauty queen in a family of suburban beauty queens. In their book, When Elvis Died, Neal and Janice Gregory revealed that Kennedy was actually on assignment for the New York Daily News. But the infamous musician was engaged to Ginger Alden before his death. Im waiting for someone to write about those., Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Travis Scott is sought by New York Police after alleged assault and criminal mischief, Review: Michael B. Jordan is the one to fly now with Creed III, Unlike Andor, Mandalorian is going all in on Star Wars lore. Nichopoulos--speaking by phone from his Memphis office--declined to talk, explaining, Ive got a bad taste in my mouth from being misquoted.). But Ginger Alden was Presleys fiance at the time of his untimely death in 1977, when he was just 42 years old. The world was shocked. According to Burk, hed figured his reporting of the death was finished. Public viewing of Elvis body. Ginger met Elvis in the fall of 1976 and they instantly hit it off. That is not an unusual complaint, since fans often faint outside the Presley mansion. He had planned to announce their engagement publicly on his upcoming tour in Memphis; sadly, he died before this could happen. 2635northpark 2 mo. His daughter and his companion, a local woman named Ginger Alden, and about 15 friends spent the. Read the book the world is talking about, screamed the headlines. Priscilla Presley Disputes Invalid Amendment to Lisa Maries Trust Thats why we immediately wanted the coffin shot.. . After the hospital finally received its call from Graceland, where Vernon Presley had been told about his son, it was decided that Joe Esposito would officially announce the death to those members of the press (maybe 30 or so) who had already gathered at the hospital. "As many of us share with extreme saddened hearts today the passing of Elvis's daughter, I wanted to reflect. He was hospitalized four times, from 1973 prior to his death. The sense of loss was echoed across the country. The job escalated each time Elvis Presley checked in. Ginger Alden, who was 21 years younger than the King of Rock n' Roll, was a beauty pageant star. Blue Hawaii: Ginger Alden, here with Elvis on their last holiday together to Hawaii, woke up on the day he died at Graceland and Elvis was not in bed.She got dressed, put on her makeup and. The city of Memphis, which also gave the world Holiday Inns, once again if only for 48 hours or so became the spiritual headquarters of rock & roll. The eclectic Village Voice had its readers reaching for the dictionary with THE WORLDS MOST BELOVED SOLIPSIST IS DEAD. As legendary rock n roll producer-pioneer Sam Phillips put it: Oh, honey, all hell broke loose.. Why Netflix is dabbling in livestreaming, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Best coffee city in the world? Alden was reportedly the last person to see him alive, and she still has fond memories of her short time with The King. As one interview was proceeding for this article, the reporter was told, You dont need to take notes. Well, God Almighty, when it came to Elvis Presley. The editorial in the Chicago Sun-Times was headlined: ELVIS: TIME FOR THE BLUES. 20 2019, Updated 1:42 p.m. As such, Kingsley scored a coup earlier this year when he accompanied the Colonel on a Mothers Day weekend visit to Graceland--the Colonels first return to Graceland since Elvis death.). Elvis Presley was at his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, resting between concert appearances. Elvis Presley Was Originally Laid to Rest in a Public Cemetery But Then Moved to Graceland: Heres Why. Many people agree that she phoned. Thats when the shows stunt coordinator came running in to announce that hed just heard that Elvis had died. Alden was reportedly the last person to see him alive, and she still has fond memories of her short time with The King. There was no way I could do them all, said Esposito, adding, so I said, Gimme two guys. So, there was a pool, and I did an Associated Press and a United Press International interview., Funny thing is, said Esposito, they never pressed about the drugs, but if they had, I guess I might have lied about them.. Ginger Alden first met Elvis when she was five years old. I cannot. maureenhall1966 Maybe she only grabbed this dress as she was in a haze of disbelief and sorrow. A decade ago, however, not all of Elvis associates would talk for the record. As for stories that the Enquirer reporters riled reporters from other publications because they had papered the town by buying up exclusive rights to peoples stories--Calder said simply, If the sheer force of money can give you what people want to read, you give them what they want.. After returning to Graceland he went to his racquet ball court and played until about six a.m. Tuesday, August 16th. The crush of floral displays. Though he wasnt technically invited to Elvis services, Murray didnt let that stop him. I felt enough had been said. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. "There were so many reporters, you couldn't get a. It was the story. By that time, we knew people would have read a lot about Elvis. 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Alden notably didn't spend much time at Graceland, and did not want to move there. She also noted how special Lisa Marie was to her father and recalled a moment between her and Elvis where he commented on just how alike they were. Required fields are marked *. All this stuff Im telling you is in the first couple chapters of my book.. Crosby was driving and Jones was helping with revival attempts in the back. Elvis' last week alive was Skip to content FAQS Clear Well, we were all impressed. Just days after his death, Elvis Presley was buried in a cemetery in Memphis, Tenn. Why isnt Elvis buried next to his mother? According to sources within the Enquirer--as well as members of Elvis entourage--it was a cousin of Elvis who, armed with a $300 Minox (given him by an Enquirer reporter), snapped that last portrait. The men were later released, and charged only with trespassing, after police determined the scheme may have been a hoax. (Nearly two and a half years later, in January of 1980, Nichopoulos would be charged with overprescribing drugs. Red West also chided a reporter: You should write some of the good things down. Learning that Thompson had tried to reach him, he promptly called her back on the dentists phone, never thinking wed be talking for an hour and 40 minutes., He surmised: I think I was a shoulder to cry on. I said, To hell with it. . The beneficiaries of the trust were Vernon, Elvis grandmother Minnie Mae Presley, and his nine-year-old daughter Lisa Marie Presley. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2012-2023 On Secret Hunt - All Rights Reserved Ginger was living with Elvis Presley when he died on August 16, 1977. 8. The thing is, the Elvis I knew in high school, and 15 years into his singing and acting careers, wasnt the same Elvis I knew at the end. The 73-year-old grandmother is planning her own funeral and has secretly . A headstone in his honor sits at Graceland. Admission to Elvis grave is now part of the Graceland tour. Elvis had the arteries of an 80-year-old man, a Baptist Hospital employee said. Vernon later gave the flowers to the thousands of fans who attended the event. Looking away from a reporter, he brushed away a tear. Andy Micklin, incarcerated. It was Dr. George Nichopoulos who broke the news to Elvis friends. Time magazine went with LAST STOP ON THE MYSTERY TRAIN. When reporters for the National Enquirer, based in Lantana, Fla., boarded a specially chartered private plane for Memphis, they knew they had to get something that no other publication would have. It read: THE KING IS DEAD! Long Live the King. They were hawked for $1 at the cemetery where Elvis was laid to rest. The city came to resemble a gypsy camp as tens of thousands of followers dropped whatever they were doing wherever they were and made their way to where they knew they had to be. 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When Priscilla and Elvis met, Priscilla was 14-years-old, and The King would have been 24-years-old. Wouldnt you say thats kind of ironic?. To this day, he is still buried in an unmarked grave in Tupelo. Ronald Leyser was a director of commercials and was married to Ginger Alden from 1991 until his death. Sadly, paramedics were unable to save Elvis Presley once they arrived. It was the story for the next two weeks.. I was with him for 17 years so, for me, protection was an automatic thing. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time GInger described how, after only a few months, Elvis proposed: "He said: 'Ginger, I've been searching for love so long, and never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would find it in my own backyard. She had been invited to Graceland, along with her sister, where she first caught the eye of The King of Rock and Roll. According to CelebrityNetWorth, Elvis Presley had a net worth of $20million (15million) at the time of his death but technically his net worth was only $5million (3.5million), before adjusting for inflation. It was a very interesting moment., Priscilla is in the midst of promoting Elvis Presley: The Searcher, a probing three-hour documentary on the rock icon to be broadcast April 14 on HBO. When you think about the huge numbers of people--all the fans that turned out--you have to think it was all pretty dignified., Related Hodge: If wed known about Caroline Kennedy, wed have done that different. These days, Alden stays out of the public eye as much as she can. His previous wife of six years, Priscilla Presley, and girlfriend of four years, Linda Thompson, both lived in. May you rest in peace Lisa. That all changed. Her father was a Public Relations Officer in the Army in Memphis. People come around the same time and theyre all there.. Previously, he served as a Music Editor at PEOPLE and VH1.com. The book promises a whole new take on the public's general . Ginger Alden was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1956. Virtually every person from every beat was assigned to cover Elvis. Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi, to Vernon Elvis and Gladys Love (ne Smith) Presley in a two-room shotgun house that his father built for the occasion. Ill never forget it. . Only three people were. Did Ginger Alden attend Elvis funeral? The moments of uncertainty began about 2:20 p.m. and passed like hours, Miss Alden said. This week alone, the headlines have included: THE KING IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE KING--The Chicago Sun-Times. And both West and Hebler appeared at a press conference on the day after Elvis death. She recalled the little moments she had shared with a young Lisa Marie, who had been around 8-9 years old at the time, following the couple's engagement. Ginger Alden was just 20 when she first started dating the King of Rock 'n' Roll, but their relationship was turbulent at times, and his inner circle, the so-called 'Memphis Mafia', didn . She failed. He was, friends said, extremely overweight and though he had seen Elvis What Happened?, written by three of his former bodyguards, he did not seem overly bothered by anything. Likewise, there is no information available regarding Ron's physical appearance. The call, from Elvis road manager Joe Esposito. Just after 2pm Tuesday, August 16, 1977 Ginger Alden found Elvis, face down, unconscious, on the floor in the bathroom at Graceland. Why isnt Elvis buried next to his mother? Of those things Elvis might not have liked said about him, Phillips mused: Honey, listen, Elvis Presley was as full of faults as any damn human being walking on this earth. Red West remembers tuning into a Geraldo Rivera report on Good Morning America the morning after Elvis death and hearing Elvis: What Happened? branded a lie. Elvis Presley enjoyed a whirlwind romance with actor Ann-Margret from 1963 to 1964. . On August 7th, Elvis had rented Libertyland, a local amusement park, from midnight till dawn. They were pleasant to each other but the exchange was brief.
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