Priscilla Presley shares strong feelings about her former son-in-law Michael Jackson, revealing her distrust of the late King of Pop during his marriage to her daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, in her upcoming memoir Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis.
Lisa and Michael tied the knot in 1994 but officially split in 1996. While many celebrated their union at the time, Priscilla admitted she was “appalled” by it.
What Did Priscilla Presley Say About Michael Jackson?
Priscilla never approved of Lisa Marie’s marriage to Michael. In fact, she admitted she was unimpressed by it.
“I was appalled by the marriage,” she revealed in an excerpt from her memoir shared by The Sun.
Like many others at the time, Priscilla was curious about their sexual relationship, given the persistent rumors surrounding Michael.
“I asked her if they had a physical relationship,” Priscilla recalled. “Like so many people, I wasn’t sure. She said, ‘Yeah.’”
As the daughter of Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll and one of the most culturally significant figures of the 20th century, Priscilla believed Michael didn’t marry Lisa Marie for love.
Instead, she suspected he had another motive. “He was marrying the Presley dynasty,” Priscilla explained.
“Michael was a manipulative man, and I think he had his sights set on her long before she realized it,” she continued. “The childlike innocence he projected was part of his public mask.”
After their marriage ended two years later, Priscilla said she felt certain of one thing: she “could practically hear Elvis sigh with relief.”
Did Michael Jackson Have a Child with Lisa Marie Presley?
Michael and Lisa Marie didn’t have a child together, though Priscilla claimed they both wanted one. However, she begged her daughter to delay any plans of starting a family with the music icon until their marriage eventually ended.
In Lisa’s own memoir, From Here to the Great Unknown—compiled from tapes by her daughter Riley Keough—the late singer-songwriter revealed that Michael was still a virgin when they began dating.
“He told me he was still a virgin,” Lisa Marie wrote. “I think he had kissed Tatum O’Neal, and he’d had a thing with Brooke Shields, which hadn’t been physical apart from a kiss. He said Madonna had tried to hook up with him once, too, but nothing happened.”
At the time, Lisa felt terrified and unsure of what to do. Not wanting to make the wrong move, she let the pop legend take the lead, and he initiated everything. From there, their physical romance began—much to her surprise.
“I had thought that maybe we wouldn’t do anything until we got married, but he said, ‘I’m not waiting!’” she continued.
After their divorce in 1996, Michael married Debbie Rowe, with whom he had two children: Prince (28) and Paris (27). He later had a third child, Bigi (23), through a surrogate. Jackson died of acute propofol intoxication in 2009 at the age of 50.
Lisa Marie, meanwhile, had been married to Danny Keough before tying the knot with Michael. She and Danny shared two children: Riley (36) and Benjamin, who tragically died by suicide at 27 in 2020.
After her split from Michael, Lisa married Nicolas Cage, though their union lasted only two years. She later wed Michael Lockwood, with whom she welcomed twin daughters, Harper and Finley (16). Lisa Marie and Lockwood divorced in 2021.
Lisa Marie Presley died of cardiac arrest caused by a small bowel obstruction in January 2023, at the age of 54.
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