26 January 2024 , 12:12
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Elvis Presley left ex-wife Priscilla heartbroken with one strict love-making rule following the birth of their only child Lisa Marie – who would have turned 56 on Febraury 1.
She was born exactly nine months after The King and Priscilla tied the knot in a secret ceremony in Las Vegas in 1967, changing their love life forever. The birth of Lisa Marie Presley, who tragically died in January 2023 after suffering a cardiac arrest, led to drastic changes in the couple's intimacy.
It ultimately shaped the beginning of the end for Elvis and Priscilla ahead of their subsequent divorce after six happy years in 1973, ending things notably amicably.
READ MORE: Lisa Marie Presley's harrowing cause of death one year on from star's tragic passing
Lisa Marie's birth was the beginning of the couple's end (Michael Ochs Archives)The Hound Dog hitmaker had told Priscilla that he was no longer able to have sex with her due to difficulties sleeping with women who had children. Priscilla recalled in her memoir, Elvis and Me: "[Elvis] had mentioned to me before we were married that he had never been able to make love to a woman who had a child."
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Elvis had a "hard time" seeing his wife as anything other than a mother. Sadly, it began affecting how Priscilla saw herself. "I [was] beginning to doubt my own sexuality as a woman,” she wrote. "My physical and emotional needs were unfulfilled."
They tied the knot at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas (Popperfoto/Getty Images)A long-term pal of Elvis, Sonny West, backed up these claims, saying Elvis looked elsewhere to fulfil his needs following the birth of Lisa Marie.
He said: "It didn’t come easy for Elvis to be a committed husband. Elvis viewed her as a mother first and a wife second, and he had hang-ups about making love with her." Sonny also noted how it was Elvis' relationship with his late mother, Gladys Presley, who shaped his relationships with women going forward.
"[Gladys] gave him so much love and attention when he was growing up that he came to put all mothers on a special pedestal,” West said. "The idea of sex with a mother was, to Elvis, out of the question."
Elvis had a 'hard time' seeing her as anything other than a mother (Getty Images)This was a drastic change for the couple. Priscilla described their sex life after getting married as "passionate" and "full of adventure".
"Ordinary thrills sometimes were not enough [for Elvis],” she once described. "Especially when he was under the influence of powerful drugs."
After their child's birth, Elvis spent time with other women, and as a result, Priscilla had a short fling with her dance instructor, as well as a fully-fledged affair with her karate teacher Mike Stone.